Here are some of the best dual enrollment programs for homeschoolers.
I had it all planned out. I knew exactly how we would do homeschool dual enrollment. It was working great. Until the school changed the program, communicated very poorly on the changes, and I was back down the rabbit hole looking for dual enrollment programs for homeschoolers.
At this point, I feel like I am a bit of an expert for homeschool dual enrollment and early college programs. I’ve spent the past few months emailing schools, asking lots of questions, and figuring out a new plan for dual enrollment for high school.
Many people treat homeschooling high school as entirely separate from the rest of your homeschool. All of your value, your investment, and your mom ego comes down to the high school years. The homeschool curriculum you’ve used and how you taught, all gets judged in high school. Not really, but that is kind of how we treat it, and how we feel about it.
There are a lot of options for high school. Don’t think that you are limited.
What is Homeschool Dual Enrollment
College dual enrollment is exactly what it sounds like. Your high school student is taking college classes while in high school. Pretty simple.
This is a great way to get your student started on college while still in high school. When my oldest son graduates next year, he will have about 40 college credits. He will need one more year to complete his associate’s degree.
Can High School Students Really Succeed in College?
Yes! And I would add even more exclamation points to that. From my personal experience, I’ve seen homeschoolers do better in college. For a few reasons, but one of the main reasons is they are used to working independently. The mark of most homeschools is that kids learn very early how to be independent. It is an easy transition to college.
My oldest son received all As and one B in his first year of dual enrollment. When I did a college math class as a junior in high school, there were two other homeschoolers in the class. The professor told me we did the best. I had the highest grade in the class. And the professor was a skeptic about homeschoolers.
Your homeschooler is probably more prepared for college than you think. Before applying, most colleges ask for the Accuplacer test or something similar. I had my oldest do the Accuplacer practice test.
How do You Add Dual Enrollment to a High School Transcript
Homeschool high school transcripts can feel overwhelming, now you need to add another layer to it.
How do you add dual enrollment to a homeschool high school transcript?
Remember this formula: one semester of college equals one year of high school. If you take a 3-credit college algebra class, that equals 1 high school credit. Or the equivalent of one year of a high school course.
For science, if it is a science class with a lab, that would be 1.5 high school credits.
You also want to designate on the transcript that it was a dual enrollment class. I use an asterisk for the college classes. Then at the bottom of the transcript I indicate it was taken at name of college.
You don’t need to add every single college class to the high school transcript. Just the ones that are covering the high school credit. For example, my son took English 1 which is on the transcript. He also took a business class, which I did not include on the transcript. It is up to you which classes you include.
Or you add the business class as a high school elective. Since we have plenty of electives, I left the business class of the high school transcript.
It is still on his college transcript, so he still has college credit for it.
Homeschool Dual Enrollment Colleges
There are a lot of colleges that will do dual enrollment. If there is a particular college you are interested in, check to see if they offer it.
Here’s the thing, many colleges offer lower tuition rates for high school students. In your search, make sure you are in the dual enrollment section of the college. Search for dual enrollment, early college, or something like that. Tuition is much cheaper.
Also, keep in mind that not all colleges will offer a degree. There may also be a limit to how many credits a high school student can take. I also discovered that many colleges won’t offer a super-senior year. The dual enrollment tuition is just for 4 years of high school. Then regular tuition kicks in. That can be three times the amount of dual enrollment tuition. So keep these things in mind as you are planning your homeschool dual enrollment program.
Here is a list of colleges that offer dual enrollment. This is not an endorsement of these colleges. It is merely giving you information to start your search.
This information is current as of this writing. Obviously, things are subject to change. This is intended for information and educational purposes only.
Arizona State University: They have an interesting structure. You pay $25 to take a class, and if you decide to put it on your transcript you then pay $400. The benefit of taking a class like this is you can try before you buy. If your student is just starting college, this may be a good way to get your feet wet.
The downside is they don’t offer an associate’s degree. I really wish they did. The goal of ASU is to ensure students pass. Instead of sitting on their throne of academia waiting for students to pay homage to them, they actually provide a customer-centered experience.
Bluefield University: High school students can earn an associate’s degree. In my experience with them, I found that they weren’t homeschool-friendly despite what they have on their website. I did let them know that they should remove this statement as it was false advertising. The tuition cost is $100 per credit.
In my opinion, this might be a case of jumping on the homeschool bandwagon without fully grasping homeschooling.
Boyce College: There is a limit of only 33 credits while a student is still in high school. The tuition cost is $107 per credit hour, which comes to $321 per class. Due to the limited number of credits a student can take. I would not recommend this option.
Bryan College: There is also a credit limit for this college. Tuition is $171 per credit.
A limit on the number of credits a student can take is a major negative in my book. However, if your student is interested in earning a bachelor’s degree at one of these colleges. This may be a great option for you.
Colorado Christian University: My next two teens are starting on this. So far they are totally on top of everything. It is refreshing compared to the other schools we’ve dealt with. They are actually homeschool friendly. Credit hours are $100 per credit, and students can get an associate’s degree.
From our experience so far, I would highly recommend them. The only negative I have is their student interface. It could really benefit from being streamlined.
We are almost done with the first semester, so I can give a more complete review of our experience at Colorado Christian University, and my recommendation is not quite so high.
Avoid the Bible classes. The only problem is they are required to get your associates degree. The kids are taking Introduction to the Old Testament, and the workload for this class is overwhelming, and in my opinion the professor isn’t a good teacher. There are a lot of other problems with this class, but I just don’t have the space to discuss them all.
We’ve discussed this with the administration, and they just keep telling us “this is truly a college-level course.” The problem with this statement is that none of their other courses have this workload. We compared syllabi, and there is no other 100-level or 200-level class with same workload as Old Testament. So the administration is inferring that their other classes aren’t college-level?
While they also keep saying the intention is to cultivate the mind, and the heart. From my observation, they have completely missed this. Intention is not a guarantee of outcome, and they need to work harder to accomplish this outcome.
Another class to avoid is college algebra. My nephew started it, but the class was more focused on growth mindset instead of actually teaching math. He dropped it and switched to a class from ASU. Thankfully, the ASU math will transfer to CCU and satisfy the math requirement.
I am at the point of looking at other schools to transfer to. We will probably continue with CCU, and get the cheap tuition for some of the classes, then transfer to another school.
The more we get into academia and higher education, the more convinced I am that it is a failing system.
Grand Canyon University: The tuition cost with the program makes it very appealing at $52.50 per credit hour. Grand Canyon University dual enrollment for homeschoolers doesn’t offer an associate’s degrees, but students can take up to 60 credit hours. Which is equivalent to an associate’s degree.
Indiana Wesleyan University: It is $150 per credit hour, and a degree isn’t offered.
LeTourneau University: You can earn an associate’s degree. The tuition cost is $90 per credit. They also have a lot of programs, if your student wants to continue to a bachelor’s degree.
Liberty University: You can get an associate’s degree. There are also specialized certifications. You can participate in the dual enrollment program if you are between the ages of 14–20. I didn’t ask, but it is highly likely that your student could do a super senior year (it is a second senior year). This is very common in our area.
It looks like you need to be enrolled in their K-12 online academy. This would be something to email and ask about. I will probably look into this further for my daughter, so look for updates. Tuition is $549 for a 3-credit college course.
***Update: I did look into this further. The student can start dual enrollment as a junior in high school. It looks like you need to be enrolled in their homeschool program to be part of the dual enrollment, which is a big drawback for us.
Ignite Learning: This is an early college program offered Onfire Learning. They provide the classes and partner with a school for the degree. It is $190 a credit or $1900 a semester (10 credits or more). It is competency based learning, which I really like.
This is the program that he did at Snow College before they changed it. So we will continue the program at another school so he can get his associate’s degree.
After almost completing this program, I would not recommend it. They are impressively disorganized. Every semester we’ve picked classes from the list they sent, and each time they let us know the day before the semester starts that the classes are not available.
This is just one instance of disorganization. I really wanted this to work, but it just doesn’t.
Their partner school, Southeastern University (SEU), seems slightly more organized. I know they have a dual enrollment program separate from Ignite Learning. From our experience, I think going direct with SEU is the better choice.
It is unfortunate, but from our experience, I cannot recommend Ignite Learning, and I really wanted to.
Snow College: I wanted to add this because my son did his first year of college through them. However, they changed their program. Like completely overhauled it to something we never would have signed up for. Then they did a terrible job communicating the changes to students.
Everything was poorly done. The classes he did great in. But changing the program after we already started was definitely a bait and switch.
University of San Diego Extended: If you child has a technology related interest, then this was a great place for classes.
I’ve taken courses with them over 10 years ago, and I thought the certification program was excellent. Also, I’ve recently taken another certification course, and it is truly awful. In one of the classes, the instructor’s teaching methodology was to inundate with information, and then test on things that were never mentioned. It wasn’t a great teaching methodology. If this is the state of higher education, then we truly do need to abandon the current system and create something new.
They are also way too expensive for the quality of education.
The major drawback. If your child is still in high school, they want a letter from the school district about academic readiness…even though we have nothing to do with the school district. Makes total sense, right?
Conclusion: Homeschool Dual Enrollment
This can be a great way to give your kids a head start on college. The are 10 excellent homeschool dual enrollment programs every homeschool mom needs to know about. Are you ready to get started or do you still have questions? Let me know in the comment below.
FAQ for Homeschool Dual Enrollment Programs
Q: What is homeschool dual enrollment?
A: Homeschool dual enrollment allows high school students to take college classes while still completing their high school education.
Q: Can high school students succeed in college classes?
A: Absolutely! Many homeschool students excel in college due to their independent learning skills and strong work ethic.
Q: How do I add dual enrollment to my high school transcript?
A: You can add dual enrollment courses by converting college credits into high school credits. One 3 credit college class equals one year of high school credit.
Q: What colleges offer dual enrollment programs?
A: Several colleges offer dual enrollment programs, including Bluefield University, Boyce College, Bryan College, Grand Canyon University, Indiana Wesleyan University, LeTourneau University, Liberty University, Ignite Learning, Snow College, and the University of San Diego Extended.
Q: What should I consider when choosing a dual enrollment program?
A: Consider factors such as tuition costs, credit limits, degree offerings, and the compatibility of the program with your homeschooling goals.
Q: How can I ensure my child’s success in dual enrollment?
A: Encourage your child to take courses aligned with their interests and abilities, provide support and guidance as needed, and communicate regularly with college advisors.
Q: Are there limitations to dual enrollment programs?
A: Some programs may have credit limits, restrictions on degree options, or specific requirements for eligibility. It’s essential to research each program thoroughly.
Q: Can homeschoolers take advantage of financial aid for dual enrollment?
A: Financial aid options vary by program and college. Check with each institution to determine the availability of financial assistance for homeschool dual enrollment students. Just a note, most colleges reduce tuition rates because dual enrollment students are not eligible for financial aid.
Q: How can I get started with homeschool dual enrollment?
A: Begin by researching dual enrollment programs, reviewing admission requirements, discussing options with your child, and planning a course of action that supports their academic goals.
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