JCPS Rotary Bridge Scholars Program

Rotary Bridge Scholars take college classes at the Southwest Campus of Jefferson Community & Technical College (JCTC). These college classes will count toward both the student’s high school graduation and grade point average (GPA). They will also become a part of the student’s permanent college academic record and may count toward a future college degree.

Students will enroll in 2-3 classes for the Fall semester and 2-3 classes for the Spring semester. Classes will apply toward college general education requirements and may be in the following subject areas: Written and Oral Communication, Quantitative Reasoning, Behavioral Science, Natural Science, and Humanities.

Classes normally meet one or two days per week depending on the semester schedule. Classes are 75 minutes each and will meet between 10:35 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. Student schedules will be provided, which will detail the exact days, times, and room locations for each class.

While participating in the program, students will take classes at the college and will communicate with the high school regarding additional expectations. Rotary Bridge Scholars remain connected to their home high school and may still participate in sports, clubs, and other extracurricular activities. Students will graduate and receive a diploma from their home high school.

Classes taken as a Rotary Bridge Scholar will follow the JCTC academic calendar and not the high school calendar. This means that there will be times when students are expected to attend college classes even when their high school is not in session. For example, JCTC and JCPS dates are not the same for Fall Break, Winter Break, and Spring Break. Also note that JCTC classes will begin and end on different dates than classes at a student’s high school. For example, during the Fall semester JCTC classes begin later in August and end earlier in December, and during the Spring semester JCTC classes begin later in January and end earlier in May.

The Rotary Bridge Scholars program is offered at no cost to students through scholarships provided by KHEAA and a generous grant from the Rotary Club of Louisville. Students are required to apply to KHEAA to use any remaining dual credit scholarship toward their Rotary Bridge Scholars classes. Any remaining courses will be covered by the grant from the Rotary Club of Louisville. Dual Credit staff can assist students needing help applying for their KHEAA dual credit scholarship.

Bus transportation is provided for Rotary Bridge Scholars, picking up at their home high school and dropping off at the JCTC Southwest campus, and then picking up from the JCTC Southwest campus and dropping off back to their home high school. The bus transportation schedule is provided each semester.

Students may also use their own transportation to and from JCTC Southwest. JCTC provides free parking permits to dual credit students who drive to campus.

Basic materials (notebooks, pens/pencils, calculator, etc.) are the responsibility of the student. The syllabus for each class will list any required or suggested class materials. While it is advised to wait until the syllabus is received to purchase any required or suggested class materials, students are expected to come to class prepared with a notebook and pen or pencil.

Any physical textbooks for classes will be provided to students prior to the start of the semester. All physical textbooks will be on loan and must be returned to the Dual Credit Office at the end of each semester. Physical textbooks that are not returned will result in a fee to the student.

The Rotary Bridge Scholars program is for select JCPS high school seniors who apply during their junior year.

Students must be recommended by their high school counselor and must meet JCTC college readiness benchmarks. Students may demonstrate college readiness with a cumulative unweighted high school GPA of 3.0, through qualifying ACT subject scores (ACT Math 19, English 18, and Reading 20), and/or through other approved JCTC placement test scores.

As part of the application process, student high school transcripts will be reviewed with special attention given to academic performance in high school English and math classes.

Eligible students must be proficient enough in the English language to communicate, engage in classroom activities, and complete written and oral assignments without reliance on interpretation and/or translation.