Many of the commonly asked questions are answered here. Please contact us if you have other questions.
(425) 629-5007
academy@digipen.edu

Pre-College Programs FAQ

Why would a student take a Pre-College Summer Program with DigiPen Academy?

The Pre-College Summer Programs are an excellent option for students seeking to gain a greater understanding of the college atmosphere. They will experience a mix of traditional college (academic courses) and technical college (track specific). Taking a pre-college course at DigiPen provides an easier transition between high school and college whether or not a student enrolls at DigiPen Institute of Technology.

What Pre-College Programs does DigiPen Academy offer?

DigiPen Academy offers four Pre-College Summer Tracks
 Art & Animation for Games
• Game Design
• Game Programming
• Music & Sound Design for Games

When are the Pre-College Programs offered?

July 8th to August 2nd, 2024

Will Pre-College be offered Online or In-Person?

2024 Pre-College Summer Programs will be hosted online. Since 2020, DigiPen Academy has successfully hosted our Pre-College programs online. By offering Pre-College online, students near and far can get a feel for what it’s like attending DigiPen Institute of Technology.

What is a standard day like for a Pre-College Summer class?

Classes are held online Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. PST

Coursework consists of three core academic subjects plus a daily project lab. Each morning, students study their academic subjects. In the afternoon, students from all four tracks join in an online project lab where they work together to create a game from start to finish.

When does registration for Pre-College Programs start?

Registration is currently open.

How old does a student need to be to attend?

Participants must be at least 16 years old, entering their Junior or Senior year of high school, or have graduated high school within the last 18 months.

Are there any prerequisites or prior experience needed?

– Game Programming students are expected to have completed Algebra 2.
– Music & Sound design students are recommended to have some experience playing an instrument.
– No prior experience is required for the Art & Animation or Game Design students.

Does a student receive a grade or credit for attending?

Yes, students will receive a weighted grade for each course within the track. Students who receive a C- or better may also request a pre-college transcript.

Do students receive college credit for taking a Pre-college Summer Program?

Students receive grades for their Pre-College classes, plus a final transcript that can be included in their application to DigiPen Institute of Technology.

Any student who successfully completes the Pre-College Program and matriculates to DigiPen Institute of Technology within three years will receive a tuition credit equal to the Pre-College Program tuition to apply toward their first-semester tuition as a freshman.

How does the Tuition Credit work?

Any student who completes a Pre-College Program and matriculates to DigiPen Institute of Technology within three years will receive a tuition credit equal to the Pre-College Program tuition to apply toward their first-semester tuition as a freshman. Students must pass with at least a C- to be eligible for the one-time tuition credit.

Can an international student attend Pre-College Summer Programs?

Yes, students from outside of the United States are welcome to enroll/attend. There are no additional program prerequisites for international students, but please note that all instruction will happen in English. To register for the Pre-College Program with an international address, please e-mail academy@digipen.edu.

WANIC Programs FAQ

WANIC Registration FAQ

Students enrolled in WANIC classes at DigiPen Institute of Technology and their Parents/Guardians should review the WANIC Handbook.

When does registration open? 

WANIC Full Year registration opens in February. Students can register and view the details of the application process at Full Year Courses – WANIC High School.

How do students sign up for WANIC? 

Students apply through the WANIC website. Students applying for their first year in a DigiPen Academy Program will need to attend an Info Session. RSVP to attend an Info Session.

When are Info Sessions held?

Info Sessions are held once a month starting in January and ending in August. These sessions are online and last for an hour. For a full list of Info Session dates, please see the WANIC Programs page or RSVP to attend an Info Session.

Why do students have to attend a DigiPen WANIC Info Session? 

The Info Session allows students to learn more about how the programs are run with a competency-based approach. This approach and our expectations for homework may be different than student’s home high schools, so we have found the Info Sessions to be beneficial for students and their families to understand the philosophy behind our approach.

I submitted the WANIC application. What is my application status?

The WANIC office handles all DigiPen WANIC applications. Please contact the WANIC office at wanic@lwsd.org for any questions or concerns regarding your application status.

Can I take WANIC and Running Start at the same time?

Students may do part-time Running Start at the same time as WANIC but please understand that we cannot allow Running Start classes to conflict with WANIC classes at any time during the school year. Sometimes, it is challenging to find a Running Start schedule that does not conflict with WANIC, especially since the Running Starts schedules typically only become available at the beginning of each quarter. The class times for DigiPen WANIC are the same every day, for the full school year.

How do students get transcripts?

If you have earned DigiPen college credit through your Skill Center program and would like to request your transcript, please fill out the Transcript Request Form for Skills Center Students and send it to wanic@digpen.edu.

For high school transcripts, email WANIC at wanic@lwsd.org.

DigiPen WANIC Full Year FAQ

What is DigiPen WANIC?

In partnership with Washington Network for Innovative Careers (WANIC), the DigiPen WANIC program offers high school students the opportunity to take advanced classes in computer science, art and animation, music and sound, and game design.

What DigiPen WANIC Full Year programs are offered?

• Art & Animation (2-year program) 
• Data Analytics & Visualization (1-year program) 
• Game Design (1-year program)
• Video Game Programming (2-year program) 
• Music & Sound Design (2-year program) 

Can the college credit earned through DigiPen WANIC Programs be transferred to other schools? 

For the 2023-2024 school year, WANIC students can earn DigiPen Institute of Technology college credit for Art & Animation Year 1, Music & Sound Design Year 1 and 2, Game Design Year 1, and Video Game Programming Year 1 and 2. Whether these credits can be transferred to a college other than DIT depends on the college that students are hoping to transfer the credits to.

Are there any prerequisites?

• Data Analytics requires Algebra 2 or Instructor Permission
• Video Game Programming requires Algebra 2 or Instructor Permission
• Art & Animation, Game Design, and Music & Sound Design do not have prerequisites

Who can attend WANIC Full Year?

– 11th or 12th grade students who are registered in a public school within the WANIC Consortium. The WANIC Consortium includes seven local school districts: Bellevue, Issaquah, Lake Washington, Mercer Island, Northshore, Riverview, and Snoqualmie Valley.
– Home-schooled and private school students who are registered with their local WANIC Consortium school district and who have not earned a high school diploma.

What if I go to school outside of the WANIC Consortium?

Out-of-consortium high school students may be eligible on a space available basis with a signed shared student agreement. Contact the WANIC office at wanic@lwsd.org for more information.

My student is entering 9th or 10th grade, can they still take DigiPen WANIC?

With some exceptions, 10th grade students can enroll for the full year DigiPen WANIC Program. All students must be cleared by their sending high school’s counselor to attend WANIC. Counselors ensure that the student is on track to graduate given their class schedule; as a sophomore, students are less likely to be cleared by their counselor. Please contact your school counselor to discuss scheduling/planning for WANIC. Freshmen are not eligible for the full year DigiPen WANIC Program.

All rising high school students, who will be in 9th-12th grade in the fall, are eligible to enroll for DigiPen WANIC Summer. DigiPen WANIC Summer is a three-week long program that takes place at the beginning of the summer semester between the end of June and first half of July.

Do you have to pay for the program? Is there tuition?

Families do not pay anything to take part in WANIC. The WANIC program is paid for by the state as outlined by the rules declared in the 2007-2008 Enrollment Reporting Handbook, Page 17-18 2.  

When are classes held?

WANIC Full Year is a school-year-long program that runs alongside the student’s high school classes. WANIC follows the Lake Washington School District Calendar. 

DigiPen WANIC has three class sections: 7:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. PST

Where are classes held?

All DigiPen WANIC classes are held in person at DigiPen’s Redmond Campus. Students are expected to be in class each day.

How are DigiPen WANIC classes different from similar courses offered at students’ home high schools?

In their DigiPen WANIC classes, students are able to study under professionals in the field while having access to resources that might not be available at home high schools for space, safety, or monetary reasons. Taking this into account, classes at home high schools are great if a student wants to see if they have a general interest for something while WANIC is a better fit for students that want to see if this is something they truly want to pursue.

Will there be homework?

DigiPen WANIC’s curriculum is designed for students to be able to complete all coursework and assignments in class. There is no assigned homework. 

How are students graded? What does a competency-based approach mean? 

Our goal with our competency-based approach is to provide students with a solid foundation that they can build off of later in our programs or in college. Rather than provide grades and label things as “good” or “bad” and then move on, our aim is to ensure that every student can produce high-quality work in essential areas. Thus, we have a list of core competencies that every student must show proficiency in to pass the class.

Does WANIC provide transportation?

Students are responsible for providing their own transportation.

What supplies do students need for class?

Computers and additional supplies and equipment will be available to students in the classroom.

DigiPen WANIC Summer FAQ

Who can attend WANIC Summer?

– All rising high school students, who will be in 9th-12th grade in the fall and who are registered in a public school within the WANIC Consortium. The WANIC Consortium includes seven local school districts: Bellevue, Issaquah, Lake Washington, Mercer Island, Northshore, Riverview, and Snoqualmie Valley. Out-of-consortium students are not eligible for WANIC Summer.
– Home-schooled and private school students who are registered with their local WANIC Consortium school district and who have not earned a high school diploma.

How long is the DigiPen WANIC Summer program?

WANIC Summer is 13 days long and takes place over the course of three weeks at the beginning of the summer. DigiPen WANIC Summer courses are hybrid; students will spend one half of the day in person at the DigiPen Redmond campus, and the other half of the day remotely online. In Summer 2023, classes were held Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. PST. 

Students will have time during lunch to commute to their next learning location. If you have any concerns about commuting times, please contact wanic@digipen.edu

Can my student participate in the remote online portion of the class at the DigiPen campus?

According to WANIC’s policies, students cannot stay on campus for the remote portion of their class.

Will there be homework?

DigiPen WANIC Summer curriculum is designed for students to be able to complete all coursework and assignments in class. There is no assigned homework. Since this is a 13-day course, it is vital for your student to use their class time effectively to complete the mandatory assignments.

How are students graded? What does a competency-based approach mean? 

For DigiPen WANIC Summer, each class will have a set of mandatory assignments to earn credit. Our goal with our competency-based approach is to provide students with a solid foundation that they can build off of later in our programs or in college. Rather than provide grades and label things as “good” or “bad” and then move on, our aim is to ensure that every student can produce high-quality work in essential areas. Students who complete all mandatory assignments with proficiency will receive an “A.” Otherwise, students will receive an “N” for no credit; an N does not affect a student’s GPA.

Are there any prerequisites for DigiPen WANIC Summer classes?

There are no prerequisites for WANIC Summer Semester. As long as a student is entering 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grade and enrolled in a public high school in the WANIC consortium, they may apply.

What is the attendance policy?

Summer classes are multiple period classes; missing one day is the same as missing 6.5 days of a regular one period class. A maximum of one day absence will be excused. If a student misses more than one day, they may not be able to make up missed work and missed hands-on lab/class time may not be replicated. If a student misses more than one day they may earn a poor or failing grade and may lose credit for the class. This will be reflected on their official high school transcript and will affect their GPA. To excuse an absence, the parent/guardian must contact the WANIC office immediately following an absence. Email wanic@lwsd.org or call (425) 739-8400. Alternatively, the student may bring a parent/guardian-signed note to the teacher.

WANIC summer programs are fast-paced so students can earn a high school semester of credit in only thirteen days. There is insufficient time for a student to address missed course content if absent multiple days.

Do I need to attend an info session to apply for DigiPen WANIC Summer?

It is NOT required for DigiPen WANIC Summer students to attend an info session. WANIC Summer students are welcome to RSVP and join an info session if they are interested in learning about our Full Year program.

When does registration open? 

WANIC Summer registration is Tuesday March 26, 2024 (9:00 AM) – Thursday April 25, 2024. Register and view the details of the application process at the WANIC Summer Courses website.