College Credit Overview

Earn college credit through American University at the NSLC.

The National Student Leadership Conference has partnered with American University (AU) to offer college credit for our high school summer programs across all campuses. AU Credit courses are designed to directly relate to your NSLC program content and are taught in a self-paced, asynchronous online format.

Instructed by AU faculty, your one-credit course will explore relevant and engaging topics in an innovative, encouraging, and personalized learning environment. All readings and assignments will be available via AU’s Canvas platform, and instruction may include pre-recorded lectures, podcasts, documentaries, and discussion boards. The course will take place during the months of July and August, and students are not expected to participate in course activities during their time with the NSLC.

Important Dates

Dates for summer 2025 will be posted soon. Example dates from last summer are as follows:

Date Activity
Jun 1 Cancellation Deadline
Jun 24 Last Enroll Date and Class Access Opens
Jul 1 Classes Begin*
Aug 9 All Coursework Due

*Students are not expected to complete coursework while attending their NSLC program.

How to Enroll

Visit the College Credit section of your NSLC student profile by July 1, 2025 to enroll in your AU course. Payment will be processed through the NSLC portal.

Students may enroll only in the AU course associated with their specific NSLC program. Check out AU’s Course Descriptions for more information about your program’s class. Classes for Summer 2025 will be announced soon.

See Course Descriptions

Learn More

For more detailed information on the AU College Credit option, visit American University’s website or contact collegecredit@american.edu.

Visit’s AU’s site
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes! AU Credit is offered to all NSLC participants regardless of program, dates, or locations. Students may enroll only in the AU course associated with their specific NSLC program. Course descriptions will be available soon.

No, the AU College Credit option is a separate online course completed outside the dates of your NSLC program.

Tuition for the AU college credit option is $965 — roughly 50% off the normal AU undergraduate per-credit cost.

Completing the AU college credit option will allow you to demonstrate that you’ve taken initiative beyond what is normally expected from high school students! On your college applications, you will be able to list your course and mark that the class earned college credit (beyond AP and IB.)

Yes, but as with AP credits, each institution has its own policies with regard to accepting outside academic credit. Students are advised to contact universities to which they are interested in attending to inquire as to its policies.

College credit tuition is refundable through June 5, 2024. If a student cancels registration after June 5th or leaves while a program is in session, no refund is available. To cancel your college credit course prior to June 5, 2024, please email info@nslcleaders.org. To cancel your course after June 5, a written request will need to be sent to collegecredit@american.edu.

Email collegecredit@american.edu or visit www.american.edu/nslc. More FAQs are also available in the College Credit section of your NSLC student profile.

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