Though our focus is earning college credit while homeschooling, here are a few creative options for your kids who’ve already graduated from high school but haven’t earned a college degree.
The Big 3
A collection of 3 regionally accredited colleges that allow you to outsource the majority of your college courses (no more than 3 have to be taken through the college) and cash-flow the entire process using alternative (low cost) college credits which allows most people to complete a bachelor’s degree in business or liberal arts for well below $10,000. Doesn’t work well for all majors since alternative credits are harder to find in some subjects. . READ MORE WATCH: Jennifer’s Introduction to the Big 3 Video
- DEAL ALERT #1: If you plan to attend either Excelsior College or Thomas Edison State University, don’t miss a chance to earn up to 44 free college credits from OnlineDegree. These credits are *literally free* but you will have to pay $9 to the proctoring company when you attempt your final exam. The two colleges each have partnerships with OnlineDegree and offer written transfer guides so you can exactly what your credits will come in as.
- Thomas Edison State University Transfer List
- Excelsior College Transfer List – don’t miss that upper level Business credit!
- DEAL ALERT #2: Get a job at Pizza Hut. No, really. Pizza Hut and Excelsior College have a partnership agreement that discounts your college tuition by 50%. READ MORE
Free Associate Degree for Union Worker Families
Do you or your spouse or grandparent work for a union? If so, your dependents (and you) are eligible for a FREE associate degree from Eastern Gateway Community College in Ohio. It is *literally free* and they accept CLEP / dual enrollment. The program is being offered online so you can live anywhere. You can’t enroll until you’re out of high school. Visit Union Plus website to read the details.
Olivet Nazarene University On Your Way
Olivet offers a catalog of about 15 college credit bearing courses complete for free. The courses are essentially open enrollment to any adult and are self paced to complete. Their hope is that upon completion, you enroll in their degree program. (But we think you might want to take these credits to one of the Big 3.) They are mainly 100 and 200 level courses, but there are a couple of upper level courses in the mix. No GPA requirements, only that you are a high school graduate. READ MORE
2021 class list
- BIB 105 – Introduction to Christianity
- BIB 215 – Understanding the Bible
- THE 310 – Christianity and Culture <– upper level
- FAC 126 – Nutrition, Health, and Fitness
- MTH 117 – Finite Math
- BIO 201 – General Biological Science
- GEO 121 – Physical Geography
- ENG 109 – College Writing I
- ENG 200 – College Writing II
- COM 105 – Oral Communication
- FIN 105 – Fine Arts
- ENG 204 – World Literature
- HIS 210 – Western Civilization
- HIS 379 – Latin American History and Politics <– upper level
- SOC 120 – Introduction to Sociology
CLEP is STILL free after high school!
Did you know that the entire CLEP catalog of credit by exam can be completed for free when you earn a coupon/voucher through Modern States? (also free) We have had thousands of families rack up enormous amounts of college credit during this promotion. CLEP exams are lower level credit (100-200), so there are more exams available than the average degree could accommodate, but with 34 exams to choose from and roughly 75% of all colleges in the country willing to provide college credit for CLEP exams, it’s an opportunity you won’t want to miss. We hope you’ll max out on CLEP no matter where you go to college. READ MORE
Tuition-Free Colleges
Some colleges have generous donations and huge endowments committed to keeping the cost of education to the absolute minimum. If you’re fortunate enough to gain admittance to one of these schools (which is NOT easy), 100% of tuition costs are waived for all admitted students. In most cases, the student may qualify for grants or…
Colleges That Don’t Allow Student Loans
The college tuition funding nut is a tough one to crack. You could be super rich with a fully stocked college fund for all of your kids (yeah!) or you could be like me, trying to cash flow college for 4 kids on 1 income. If you’re somewhere in the middle, you might be considering…
