PSEO allows high school juniors and seniors to take courses, full-or part-time, at a college or university for both high school and college credit. To be eligible, students who will be juniors in the 2009-10 academic year must rank in the top one-third of their class or score at or above the top 30 percent on a nationally standardized, norm- referenced test. Seniors must rank in the upper one-half of their class or score at or above the top 50 percent on a nationally standardized, norm-referenced test. Student must also score at college level on the Accuplacer placement test in order to take classes.

"The decision to participate in PSEO is an important one," says Stephanie Shea, Owatonna Riverland counselor. "The student will be expected to be a responsible, self-starting independent learner. Students should seek out additional information and counseling at their high school or at the college."

Riverland Community College, a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, is a regional comprehensive community college inspiring learning for living through a personalized educational environment. Approximately 4,000 students are served, annually, through a wide range of credit-based educational opportunities. An additional 5,600 students are annually served in non-credit courses. Facilities are located in Albert Lea, Austin, and Owatonna, Minn. Riverland may be found on the Internet at www.riverland.edu.

The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system comprises 32 state universities and community and technical colleges serving the higher education needs of Minnesota. The system serves about 250,000 students per year in credit-based courses and an additional 140,000 students in non-credit courses.