Our son is a homeschool high school junior, but he’s also a college student because of dual enrollment. Dual enrollment was not on our radar when he took his first homeschool high school class while we were homeschooling sixth grade. It was a college-level introduction to astronomy class, which I only gave high school credit for because he was a middle schooler and I wasn’t sure if he’d complete it (see my Tips for Homeschooling Middle School). But as high school progressed for him, we were running out of classes that could easily be taught at home or that he could take at our local homeschool learning center. For some students, like our son, homeschool dual enrollment is the best option.
Dual Enrollment and Dual Credit
When offerend by a college or university, dual enrollment is a program that allows qualified high school students to take college courses while enrolled in high school. Most dual enrollment programs are also dual credit programs, whereby students earn both high school and college credit simultaneously. It is important, however, to make sure you understand what the guidelines of the program are in regards to dual enrollment and dual credit, because not all programs are the same. Dual credit programs are generally restricted to high school juniors and seniors. However, well-motivated or qualified younger students may be admitted on a case-by-case basis based on GPA and test scores. For example, our local community college requires ACT scores for dual enrollment under the age of 16. We have a personal friend whose child was allowed to take a limited number of classes at age 13. Some dual enrollment courses are not related to high school at all, and instead offer concurrent credit for related programs at separate academic institutions and are generally degree-specific.
Potential Benefits of Dual Enrollment
Dual enrollment has many potential benefits. It allows students to explore different subjects and earn college credit before officially starting their college journey.
Dual enrollment programs are typically offered in collaboration between high schools and partner colleges or universities. Students may take these college courses on the college campus, online, or sometimes even at their high school. The specific details of dual enrollment programs, such as available courses, eligibility criteria, and credit transfer policies, can vary depending on the institution and program. Our local community college has a coordinator assigned to assist homeschool families with dual enrollment, as well and students who qualify may participate in the programs that are offered to local high schools.
Dual enrollment can save students money toward their college later by allowing them to take college courses for free or reduced rates, depending on the contract with the local high school. In our particular case, dual enrollment courses are one third of the standard fee for the same course if taken after high school.
Of course, collegiate-level courses can provide students with a more academically challenging curriculum than high school curricula might offer. This may help encourage them to develop study skills and help prepare them for when they do enter college full-time.
Overall, dual enrollment provides a valuable opportunity for high school students to challenge themselves academically, get a head start on their college education, and potentially save time and money on their path to obtaining a college degree.
Potential Drawbacks of Dual Enrollment
Colleges may limit the type of classes that students are permitted to enroll in (i.e. location-based or core-level classes) or the number of credits a student is allowed to take at a time. Most dual enrollment students are limited to 9 credit hours locally, while some “scholars” program students are allowed up to 20 credits based on their GPA.
Your local high school and community college may not operate on the same academic calendar. This can cause problems for students who are enrolled in both concurrently. For homeschool students, this isn’t as much of a problem, unless they are also in a co-op setting.
Some students may not be ready for the time investment required. College courses require effective time management skills, thoughtful planning, and organization to ensure you’re keeping up with coursework.
Even poor grades count toward high school GPA. This means if your kiddo bombs a class because they weren’t quite ready for the college-level class, it still becomes a part of their official high school transcript and can tank their GPA. That can really affect their college choices later.
While earning college credits early may seem like a grand idea, not all credits may transfer to university later. It’s important to evaluate whether or not each course will transfer before committing to it. Our local community college designates courses as CORE42 when they are among the ones that transfer to state schools, so we know which will definitely transfer. They also have a credit transfer tool that we can use to assess whether or not each class will transfer to a number of different universities in state and out of state so that we can assess the advisability of taking a course now or holding off on it.
Care should be exercised in how many credits are earned before officially entering college so that students are still able to enter college as Freshman and able to avail themselves of all the benefits of Freshman scholarships, etc.
Overall, dual enrollment does have both pros and cons. Each child is unique and the decision of whether or not to dual enroll is a personal one. It’s important to discuss the pros and cons of all course options with your teen, and that you really listen to what your teen wants in conjunction with their ultimate goals. For us, for our son, dual enrollment made the most sense right now. So, off to the college campus he goes.
