Austin Community College (ACC) recently proposed a new opportunity for students to explore their future college careers by granting free tuition to high school graduates. The college has created this plan, which it expects to present to the RRISD Board in February, to help students have a higher education while going through an easier process. Additionally, the college has supported students’ futures in other ways.

“I think that ACC will definitely help me because it is a college course, meaning it is paced and the rigor of the course is at a college level, which will help prepare me for college,” Katherine Flannagan ‘25 said.

Many students are eager to seek further information about ACC, such as different ways to take classes: ACC can be offered online, in school, or during the summer. It is usually taken over the summer, meaning that students won’t have to take that class in future semesters, but some people prefer the online route better. ACC also has many other options on ways to take their classes, including through Westwood: anybody who has passed their TSI, PSAT, or SAT is eligible to take ACC classes during school hours.

“I plan to take ACC Dual Credit English for my senior year, which is a one-semester class,” Flannagan said.

The newly introduced offering of waived tuition for current graduates has opened high school students’ minds to new ideas for their future with ACC. The library held informational lunch meetings during all lunches on Jan. 16-19 in the library’s great room to introduce additional ACC opportunities to take up, as well as more of the program’s requirements.

“I attended only the mandatory meeting. I liked how the counselors showed the steps on how to register and were very honest about how difficult it is to get into the exact class you want,” Mikayla Smith ‘25 said.

ACC offers help to students in a variety of ways, including online support. IB counselor Ann Castro was responsible for sending out ACC registration information, and lead counselor Holly Browning sent out emails with even more information for new and returning students alike.

“I like that ACC is a class I can take within Westwood, while there is still set coursework online that will prepare me for college,” Flannagan said. “I think that I will like next year’s class because it is British Literature, which is a topic I am unfamiliar with. It’s also a one-semester class, which gives me opportunities to work on other coursework or college applications the next semester.”

While ACC can allow students to take more of the classes they want during the school year by taking summer classes, it can also benefit students by providing them with high school and college credits simultaneously. This gives them credits for future college experiences, including those at ACC.