HERTFORD — When Shaun Harrell graduates from Perquimans County High School next year, he could already have half a dozen college credits under his belt.

Harrell was one of more than a dozen PCHS juniors to fill out applications Monday for the University of North Carolina-Greensboro's iSchool, a virtual learning program that allows students to start earning college credit as high school juniors.

"It's an advantage to go ahead and get an early start," said Harrell, who hopes to major in marketing when he attends Elizabeth City State University in fall 2008. He said he plans to base the college classes he signs up for around ECSU's requirements.

"It's a good opportunity," Candice Nixon agreed. Sheis interested in psychology and sociology courses and hopes to major in biology or criminal justice at UNC-Chapel Hill.

While iSchool has been around for a decade, it will be offered at Perquimans High School for the first time in the fall. Victor Eure, school technology coordinator, said the school already has the necessary infrastructure in place, including computers with upgraded Internet bandwidth and distance learning facilitators. He said Perquimans signed up for iSchool after hearing that it worked well for students at John A. Holmes High School in the Edenton-Chowan Schools.

"We have always been open to possibilities," Eure said.

Margaret Bell, a consultant for UNCG, said there are no testing or admissions requirements for iSchool courses. For the first time ever, there might not be a $270 fee, either.

Funding that allows students and school districts to enroll in iSchool at no cost is part of the House version of next year's state budget. Gov. Mike Easley has already endorsed the expenditure.

Bell said the classes are interactive and feature online games as teaching tools. Principles of Microeconomics, for example, teaches decision-making by placing the student in charge of a spaceship crew, while a Latin American history course tests knowledge of political figures via a trivia game.

Students can take classes during the school day at times scheduled by each individual school. Courses will be limited to those not already taught at the high school. Each course completed with a "C" or better earns a student three transferable college credits.