Bellarmine University has officially launched its Dual Credit Institute, a new school-based partnership initiative aimed at expanding access to high-quality, college-level learning experiences for high school students across Louisville and beyond. The Institute builds on Bellarmine’s 20-year history of dual credit instruction and bolsters Bellarmine’s role as a partner for workforce development and academic readiness. 

 

For its inaugural year, the Dual Credit Institute has established partnerships with several Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and Archdiocese of Louisville high schools, including Ballard, Butler, Doss, Eastern, Male, Waggener, Assumption, Mercy, Presentation Academy, and Holy Cross. This is in addition to a partnership established with Eminence High School in 2012. These partnerships offer students the opportunity to earn college credit in both general education and career-connected fields – including theology, biology, criminal justice, and education – through rigorous, college-aligned instruction delivered on location at their own high schools. 

 

"We are proud to offer a dual credit experience that reflects the depth and excellence of a Bellarmine education,” said Dr. Mark Wiegand, Bellarmine’s vice president for academic affairs and provost. “This initiative was built in close collaboration with our faculty and school partners to ensure we are supporting students, elevating teaching, helping more young people see college as part of their future, and in many instances, accelerating students' pathways to meaningful careers and service." 

 

Bellarmine’s Dual Credit Institute is structured around school-level partnerships that empower high school educators and administrators. Courses are taught either by credentialed high school faculty, Bellarmine instructors, or through team-teaching models that blend the two – all supported by structured mentorship and professional development from Bellarmine faculty. Teachers participate in ongoing workshops and academic planning sessions, with curriculum materials grounded in Bellarmine’s liberal arts tradition and tailored to meet Kentucky’s academic standards. 

 

One of the cornerstone offerings for 2025-26 is a four-course Teaching and Learning Pathway developed by Bellarmine’s Annsley Frazier Thornton School of Education. The pathway prepares students interested in becoming future educators. Other new offerings range from theology and history to pre-health sciences and STEM fields, supporting both liberal arts and career-aligned exploration. 

 

Cassidy Cummings, a dual credit certified teacher at Ballard High School, said Ballard’s partnership with Bellarmine’s School of Education is already transforming student engagement. “We are excited to be a part of a flagship dual credit partnership with an elite academic institution,” said Cummings. “Bellarmine created meaningful opportunities for students to experience college-level learning and explore careers in education. Several of our students will attend Bellarmine this fall because of their involvement in the program, and we expect that number to grow.” 

 

In addition to local partnerships, Bellarmine is also expanding its dual credit reach through immersive experiences. In Summer 2026, a new collaboration with Seeds of Change will allow students from Trinity, Lexington Catholic, and Assumption to earn four Bellarmine biology credits during a 10-day research immersion in Costa Rica. This distinctive opportunity reflects Bellarmine’s commitment to experiential learning and global engagement. 

 

The Dual Credit Institute is a product of Bellarmine’s mission to educate students in mind, body, and spirit for meaningful lives, rewarding careers, and service to others. It also supports the university’s strategic goals of access, affordability, and enrollment – key drivers behind Bellarmine’s recent recognition by the Carnegie Foundation as an “Opportunity College and University – Higher Access, Higher Earnings.” This classification recognizes a select group of institutions nationwide that provide both high levels of college access for underserved student populations and strong earnings outcomes for graduates. 

 

The Institute is working to add new high school partners and broaden academic pathways in the years ahead. To learn more about the Dual Credit Institute, visit https://www.bellarmine.edu/dual-credit. 

 

Separate from the dual credit program, Bellarmine’s Lansing School of Nursing and Clinical Sciences has launched an innovative "Knights to Nurses" Career Ready Nursing Program, enabling high school students to get a head start on a Bellarmine nursing degree by taking courses at Bellarmine during their senior year of high school. Admitted via a selective application process, the first participants began taking classes on campus this July as part of a five-week summer program, and will be back on campus in the fall and spring for courses fulfilling general education and pre-requirements while remaining enrolled at their high schools. The program is partly funded by a grant from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, with generous scholarship support provided by Norton Healthcare to address a critical workforce need.