These rigorous courses are held at Cotter Schools, and students prepare for the AP exams in May. Depending on the student’s score and the college or university that the student attends, college placement or credits may be awarded.

• AP U.S. History
• AP Calculus AB
• AP Calculus BC
• AP Literature and Composition
• AP Language and Composition
• AP Physics

Students have the opportunity to take additional AP exams as well.

Students who enroll in these courses are concurrently enrolled at Saint Mary’s University. The courses are held at Cotter and taught by Cotter instructors, and if students earn a C or better in the class, they receive college credit from Saint Mary’s University at a significantly discounted price per credit. Upon completing these requirements, students will have a Saint Mary’s University transcript showing these credits.

• AP Literature and Composition - 3 credits
• AP Language and Composition - 4 credits
• Advanced Political Science - 3 credits
• AP U.S. History - 3 credits per semester (or 6 credits for the year)
• AP Calculus AB - 4 credits
• AP Calculus BC - 4 credits

This program is available to juniors and seniors who meet the eligibility requirements, which are specific to each college. PSEO courses may only be taken on a part-time basis since students must take all of their required courses at Cotter. Students need to arrange their schedule at Cotter, so that they can take a PSEO class at the beginning or end of the day. Please note that by taking a PSEO class, you may not be able to take other specific honors or elective classes at Cotter. Students also need to be sure their PSEO schedule does not overlap with any classes at Cotter. Students will not be able to arrive late or leave early from a Cotter class due to their PSEO schedule. Students cannot be enrolled in more than 7 classes, so each PSEO class that a student takes will create an academic resource hour in their Cotter schedule. Some students may be taking their class during this time, while others may have that time to work on their PSEO class work. Please note that students will not receive credit twice for the same course material repeated at the college level. PSEO applications for the fall semester typically need to be completed before May 1st. Students can direct specific questions to the Academic Advisor.   

Frequently Asked Questions