UNM-LA Hosts Dual-Credit Info Session for High School Families April 14

The dual-credit partnership between UNM-Los Alamos and Los Alamos Public Schools has a specific workforce target: producing graduates with technical certifications recognized by Los Alamos National Laboratory and its contractor network before they leave LAHS. An informational session at the high school library on April 14 will lay out how students can get there, with tuition waived and up to 30 college credit hours already in hand.

Under the program's cost structure, UNM-LA waives tuition for up to two dual-credit courses per semester, and Los Alamos Public Schools covers the textbooks. Students who follow a full pathway through the Los Alamos Early College and Career Academy, known as LAECCA, can accumulate 30 or more college credit hours alongside their high school diploma, the equivalent of roughly one full academic year of college coursework completed before ever paying a semester's tuition.

The April 14 session at the LAHS library will walk families through enrollment procedures, course offerings, how credits transfer within the UNM system toward associate's and bachelor's degrees, and available financial support options. Staff will present pathway maps and timelines, and families can bring individual questions about prerequisites and the logistics of taking some classes on the UNM-LA campus rather than at LAHS.

The workforce connection runs directly through the lab. LAECCA's employer partners include LANL, the Los Alamos Chamber of Commerce, and Yeamans Machine Shop, which collectively provide students with site tours, guest speakers, and mentorship contacts in the regional job market. LAHS school counselor Cristin Haake and LAECCA Coordinator Brent Collom oversee the advising structure that steers students toward one of four credentialed tracks: Electro-Mechanics, Robotics, Business/Marketing, or Emergency Medical Services. The Electro-Mechanics and Robotics pathways align directly with technical support roles in LANL's contractor network; the EMS track addresses a shortage of first-responder-credentialed workers across Northern New Mexico.

The practical tradeoffs are real. Dual-credit students carry college-pace coursework on top of high school requirements, with some classes meeting on the UNM-LA campus. Prerequisites vary by course, and applications require a current high school transcript submitted to the Dual Credit Coordinator in Building 1, Room 106 at UNM-LA at least one week before the semester begins.

Application packets are available from the LAHS counseling office or directly from UNM-LA's Student Services in Building 1. The April 14 session at the LAHS library is the clearest entry point for families weighing the options before enrollment windows open.