Post Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) is a program run by the Department of Education. Through PSEO, students can earn college credits while meeting their high school graduation requirements simultaneously. There is an application process that involves completing forms and engaging in conversations with Park counselors. Still, it all begins with the information sessions they host before each semester’s application deadline. The sessions are either in-person during school hours or online via Zoom. The information sessions and deadlines for applying for PSEO for the second semester of the 2025-26 school year have already passed, but registration for first semester of 2026-27 opens in the spring.
According to junior counselor Sara Lindsay, PSEO is a great chance for students seeking more credits or courses than high school can offer. She said with proper direction, it can lead to a college classroom experience, accelerated study and career opportunities.
“(In PSEO, students) get an opportunity to explore college and see what the next level up looks like,” Lindsay said. “Some students know what they really want to study after high school, so for that population, it does help them get an advantage. It’s an opportunity to earn free college credits that are either prerequisites to a program they want to go into that also meet high school requirements, or it is an opportunity for some students to get an associate’s degree and their high school diploma at the same time, which sets them up for going into the workforce and continuing into a four-year program.”
Sophomore Elena Mutchler said she’s interested in PSEO because it will provide her with first-hand college experience and a more advanced variation of her interests than high school offers.
“I want to prepare myself better for college and get used to that schedule,” Mutchler said. “Also, there are more options for classes like college-level Spanish and history, which are my favorite subjects that I want to go more in-depth on. (PSEO) sounds fun to me.”
Junior Scarlett Ramos said she wants to take PSEO because it could save her money for future college expenses, and offers an authentic college experience while in high school.
“I’m interested (in taking PSEO) because it’ll help out in the future with saving money and getting credit so that I don’t have to pay for (those courses) later on,” Ramos said. “It also introduces what college will be like before I get there, and there are more opportunities with more classes and asynchronous learning.”
Lindsay said PSEO is not always the best route for all students because the work is more difficult, and not performing well in a college class can have lasting effects on their high school and college academic endeavors.
“Taking a college-level class can look really enticing, but the workload is going to be a little bit higher,” Lindsay said. “You are earning four credits on the college level, which is exciting because that translate to a whole year of a high school course. Now, if you don’t do well in that class, then we have to step back and map out a different plan because then you’re failing a whole year of a high school class, and those credits have to be made up.”
Mutchler said she’s excited for the opportunity to get accustomed to the environment and campus community of post-secondary learning, and to prepare for her academics after high school.
“I’ve heard that (PSEO is) a really good experience to learn how college professors operate, and it prepares you for after high school,” Mutchler said. “I’ve also heard about how fun it is to be on a campus, so for me it’s really about the experience.”
Ramos said the interest meeting held by Park counselors was very beneficial, and learning about the different pathways in person provided much more clarity for her to make her decision on whether she would take PSEO.
“The interest meeting was really helpful,” Ramos said. “It had a lot of information and had someone read out the terms that the PSEO emails give, rather than tell you about (it), and (shared) what (PSEO’s) purpose is. It makes it a lot easier to understand because you’re listening instead of just reading, and you can ask questions.”
