(Formerly called “Earned Admissions Program”)
The ASU program stands alone- they are so unique, that they get their own entry on the list of 30 Ways to Earn College Credit in High School. I’m not the only one that thinks so, ASU has been ranked as the #1 most innovative school in the country by U.S. News & World Report for the past 8 years in a row! Everything about this program is different and cool, so even those of you with access to free dual enrollment may want to consider ASU for their no-risk program. (Plus, I’m going to show you how to get the rest of an ASU bachelor’s degree for free).
Cost
The cost for every ASU Universal Learner course requires a $25 ID fee, but no tuition. Books and Fees are included, so there are no extra or hidden fees! Once your student completes the course, and you like their grade, you have up to 1 year to pay $400 and have it added to an official ASU college transcript. This course entry on their transcript is exactly what ASU college students receive, so the credit doesn’t “look different” than “regular” ASU credit in any way. This is “real” ASU college credit for $400 per course (for this program, the number of credits doesn’t matter, pricing is per course). When your student finishes all their ASU courses, you’ll pay $20 to have their complete transcript sent to their college of choice.
How much of a savings is this? If your student were to take an online course as a regular ASU student, you’d pay as much as $1800 per course. This is a huge savings!!
| Goal | Required *Before the course starts* | Optional *After the course ends* | Total cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| High school credit* only (homeschool) | $25 | $0 | $25 |
| High school credit* & college credit (homeschool + ASU) | $25 | $400 | $425 |
Transcripts
Courses are recorded on a standard Arizona State University transcript with no notation of courses being online or self-paced or different. They are recorded as regular ASU college courses in every way.
Transfer of Credit
ASU is a regionally accredited 4-year university. The credit earned there should transfer to any college that accepts transfer credit. If you already have a target college in mind, you could check with the college to verify in advance. Most families don’t have their teen’s college already selected but know that this credit is more likely to transfer to a target school than AP or CLEP exams.
One consideration about transfer credit. Sometimes the credit will transfer, but the course you’ve selected doesn’t fit into your program. For instance, a student attending a specialty art college probably won’t be able to transfer 2 or 3 math classes – the slots for that much math simply don’t exist in that degree plan. This surprise can be avoided by deliberately planning courses from a variety of subjects until your teen has a solid target college and major in mind. This “overage” can happen to anyone earning a lot of credit but not resourcefully planning, so this advice holds true for everyone Homeschooling for College Credit.
“My son’s community college accepted ASU’s Chemistry course for transfer, but they wouldn’t accept it for a “core science lab” course for his degree plan – it actually came in at a higher level. This was an unexpected surprise / disappointment.” -Andrea L.
Enrollment Requirements
- No SAT/ACT
- No placement test.
- No high school transcript.
- No college transcript.
- Prerequisites are a suggestion, but not enforced
- Yes you only need a government-issued photo-id with the student’s name visible.
HS4CC parents have reported the following options to work for identification:
Driver’s license/permit
Passport
DoD dependent ID
Public School ID
Umbrella School ID
Homeschool ID w/School name, student name, birthdate and photo
Is there an age limit? No age limit.
HS4CC Portal
We like this opportunity so much, we now have a portal just for our homeschool families! Our HS4CC ASU Portal has all of the courses offered in the main ASU UL portal, PLUS we have a selection of courses only available to students in our portal, like Poetry in America. Poetry in America courses are restricted to our HS4CC students only, at this time.
Use the HS4CC portal! It is the “door” that you use to enter the ASU Universal Learner program. If you enter through the “regular” door, you won’t get access to our special classes or benefits.
Please note that not all of the courses offered in our portal are visible on our portal splash page. This is just a sample of what’s available. All courses are visible in the student dashboard, once logged in using their ASURITE ID.
To join the HS4CC portal, new students should use the links provided in the HS4CC ASU Portal page. Students using this link will automatically be placed in the HS4CC portal. If the student already has an ASURITE ID and would like to be moved to the HS4CC portal, please email ulcourses@asu.edu with the name, ASURITE ID and request to be moved to the HS4CC portal.
We have a wonderful FAQ page with tons more good tips and tools for using ASU in your homeschool.
We don’t make any money off your use of the portal or our relationship with ASU. All support for the portal and the HS4CC with ASU Courses Facebook group is 100% volunteer run. It is a free service we provide to the homeschool community.
Abbreviated Course List (2023-2024)
Some courses follow a calendar and some are self-paced. View most of the courses offered here. Please note that our HS4CC portal has ALL of the courses offered in the main public portal, PLUS we have a number of courses ONLY available to HS4CC portal students, such as the Poetry in America courses. We also sometimes have additional sections or pacing options (ie self-paced vs teacher paced). All courses are visible from the student Dashboard | Add Courses page, once logged in.
Course reviews by our community: Go to our parent’s reviews page and join our HS4CC with ASU Courses Facebook Group.
Following is a sample of the growing list of courses commonly offered, including a few of our HS4CC only courses:
English, Communication, and Speech
- English Composition – ENG 101
- English Composition: Research and Writing – ENG 102
- Poetry in America: The City from Whitman to Hip Hop – ENG 131 (HS4CC only!)
- Poetry in America: 1850-1945 – ENG 131 (HS4CC Only!)
- English Composition – ENG 105 (HS4CC only!)
- Introduction to Human Communication – COM 100
- Introduction to Social Transformation – SST 220
- Public Speaking – COM 225
Mathematics
- College Algebra and Problem Solving – MAT 117
- College Mathematics – MAT 142
- Brief Calculus: Calculus for Business and Economics – MAT 210
- Calculus for Engineers I- MAT 265
- Precalculus – MAT 170
- Elements of Statistics – STP 226
- Computer Applications and Information Technology – CIS 105
Science
- Introduction to Solar Systems Astronomy (with Lab)- AST 111
- General Chemistry for Engineers – CHM 114
- Introductory Chemistry – CHM 101 coming tentatively Fall 2023
- Energy Matters (Physics) – PHY 194
- Biology: The Living World – BIO 100
- Environmental Science – BIO 130
- Habitable Worlds (Astronomy, Biology, Geology, Chemistry, Physics)- SES 106
Social Studies
- Human Origins – ASM 246
- Identity, Service and American Democracy – PAF 112
- Introduction to Sociology – SOC 101
- Introduction to Psychology – PSY 101
- Religion, Culture, and Public Life – REL 101
- Macroeconomic Principles – ECN 211
- Microeconomic Principles: Decision Making Under Scarcity – ECN 212
- Western Civilization: Ancient and Medieval Europe – HST 102
- Global History to 1500 – HST 100
- Global History from 1500 – HST 101 coming tentatively Spring 2024
- Resilient American Futures: An Academic Road Trip – CGF 194 (Sustainability and Cultural Geography)
Health
- Introduction to Health and Wellness – EXW 100
Electives
- Introduction to Engineering: Imagine. Design. Engineer! – FSE 100
- Uses of Accounting Information I – ACC 231
- Programming for Everyone: Introduction to Programming – CSE 110
- Technological, Social, and Sustainable Systems – CEE 181
- Introduction to the Healthcare Professions and the US Healthcare System – HCR 220
- Culture and Health – HCR 230
- Perspectives on Grand Challenges for Engineering – FSE 150
- Plus a selection of IT classes designed to earn the Google IT Certification, a selection of Organizational Leadership courses, Career Exploration, and more!
Read Andrea’s post about the launch of the Google IT Certification at ASU and Jennifer’s post about how decide between the ASU option or the cheaper Coursera option.
ASU “Regular” Admissions
ASU’s Universal Learner program was intentionally created to funnel students into ASU’s regular college degree programs. ASU has traditional on campus programs and online degrees. Some of the competitive majors may have additional requirements like test scores or letters of recommendation, so you’ll need to look at the details of the specific program you’re considering, but admission to the university is guaranteed.
Special note from Jennifer about applying to ASU for a degree: Your student is a freshman applicant. Even with a ton of college credit, high school students always apply as a first time freshman for college admission and financial aid at any college or university. The Universal Learner program advertises “guaranteed admissions” but that guarantee is offered to transfer applicants with 24 college credits, not freshman. So, if your teen applies as a freshman and doesn’t get accepted, you can use Universal Learner Guarantee to secure their admissions, but they’ll have to become transfer applicants first, which requires them to earn an additional 24 college credits after high school graduation to secure their eligibility. All college credit earned during and after high school is then applied to their degree. This is a little bit complex, but if you have questions, our team is happy to help you through the process.
If you decide to pursue a college degree at ASU, we strongly recommend you use the 100% free tuition partnership program by grabbing a job at Starbucks!
The Starbucks College Achievement Plan
Starbucks College Achievement Plan
“Every benefits-eligible U.S. partner working part- or full-time receives 100% tuition coverage for a first-time bachelor’s degree through Arizona State University’s online program. Choose from over 100 diverse undergraduate degree programs, and have our support every step of the way.”
Visit the College Achievement Plan site for a good list of details, but the quick summary is that you must work at least part-time for 3 months to qualify. TIP: while you’re waiting to qualify, take another Universal Learner course and fill out your ASU application packet. As part of your packet, you’ll be required to send in your homeschool high school transcript and fill out the regular FAFSA paperwork.
ASU Online has six start dates per year. It takes about four weeks for an admission decision, but processing times may vary depending on the volume of student applications and how your transcripts are sent to ASU. Starting your application at least a month in advance may help ensure you start on the day you want.
Listen to Jennifer’s podcast episode about how to use the Starbucks program:
Examples of ASU Online Degrees & Majors Available
- Accountancy (BS)
- Art (Digital Photography) (BFA)
- Astronomical and Planetary Sciences (BS)
- Biological Sciences (BS)
- Business – Law (BA)
- Business – Food Industry Management (BA)
- Chemistry (BA)
- Community Health (BS)
- Computer Information Systems (BS)
- English (BA)
- Food and Nutrition Entrepreneurship (BS)
- Global Management (BGM)
- Graphic Design (BSD)
- Health Education and Health Promotion (BS)
- Full list here
FAQ
We have a wonderful FAQ page with tons more good tips and tools for using ASU in your homeschool.