NOLS students can earn high school credit for expedition courses through Blueprint Education. This credit aligns with U.S. national standards for leadership and physical education courses. Blueprint Education is accredited by AdvancED, the unified organization of the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation & School Improvement (NCA CASI), and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools' Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI).

Please verify with your high school counselor that these credits can be used toward your high school diploma. NOLS and Blueprint have no control over the transfer of credits.

Grading of leadership and PE courses
Your high school credit leadership grade is entirely based on your NOLS expedition leadership grade, with no extra paperwork. The PE credit is based on maintaining a physical activity log (60 hours of activity for each .5 Carnegie Units (CUs)), setting goals for improved performance, and successfully completing a self-evaluation form that reflects on what you learned. Your NOLS instructors will grade these forms. Your PE grade is based on how smartly you set and work towards goals, not on how strong you are.

Registration and payment are required 10 days before your NOLS course begins.
In order to receive high school credit for your NOLS course, registration and payment for credit are due before your course begins. Credit cannot be awarded retroactively because high school credit uses special forms the student and their NOLS instructors use for the student to set and attain goals. This can't possibly be done afterward.

Transcripts
Blueprint Education will mail one official transcript to the address you print on the high school credit enrollment form. If you need more official transcripts, Blueprint can help you with that. Transcripts are not available until after the close of the term into which your course falls. Requests for early report of grades will be accommodated if they are made in advance of your course start date. Please contact the NOLS registrar with any requests or questions.

Eligibility
Any NOLS student can enroll in the high school credit program. It is your responsibility to talk to a guidance counselor at your home high school to see if these credits can be used toward your high school diploma.

Refunds
If you withdraw from high school credit registration prior to the start of your NOLS course, the registration fee will be refunded to you minus a $25 processing fee. Students who separate from their NOLS course while in progress may be awarded high school credit based on the duration and quality of their participation. Credit for separated students is awarded at the discretion of the NOLS branch staff and instructors. The expense for any high school credit not awarded to a separated student will be refunded, minus a $25 processing fee.

Blueprint Education Information
Blueprint Education and the National Outdoor Leadership School are entirely separate entities and no agency or employee relationship exists between them. Blueprint's responsibility is to a prior review of course content and instructor qualification to ensure appropriate academic relevance and competence and exercises no responsibility or authority over the conduct of the instructors or other employees or agent of NOLS.

Download the NOLS High School credit package, complete with evaluation forms (pdf) to share with your High School counselor.