Arizona State University ASU Universal Learner

ASU’s Earned Admissions program has a new name: Universal Learner.

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 6 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).

Arizona State University Universal Learner Program

Cost

The cost for every ASU ~~Earned Admission~~ 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).

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!!

When your student finishes their ASU courses, you’ll pay $20 to have their transcript sent to their college of choice.

Transcripts

Courses are recorded on a standard Arizona State University transcript with no notation of courses being online or self-paced. They look like a regular butt-in-seat ASU course on the transcript.

Transfer of Credit

ASU is 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 final 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 LaBass

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.

Things people have used successfully as of 5/15/20:
Driver’s license/permit
Passport
DoD dependent ID
Public School ID
Umbrella School ID
Homeschool ID w/School name, student name, birthdate and photo

How to Sign Up for ASU’s Earned Admissions Courses

Signing up for ASU’s Earned Admissions courses is easy – let us show you how. Following are instructions for high school (or younger) students to sign up for Arizona State University’s Earned Admissions courses.

by Andrea LaBass November 29, 2020July 16, 2022

Is there an age limit? No age limit.

Course List (2020-2021)

Some courses follow a calendar and some are self-paced. View full list here.

Go to our parent’s reviews page

Don’t enroll without hearing what other HS4CC have to say about each course!

Brief Calculus: Calculus for Business and Economics – MAT 210
Calculus for Engineers I- MAT 265
College Algebra and Problem Solving – MAT 117
Computer Applications and Information Technology – CIS 105
English Composition – ENG 101
English Composition: Research and Writing – ENG 102
Foundations for Earned Admission – EA 11
General Chemistry for Engineers – CHM 114
Human Origins – ASM 246
Identity, Service and American Democracy – PAF 112
Introduction to Engineering: Imagine. Design. Engineer! – FSE 100
Introduction to Health and Wellness – EXW 100
Introduction to Human Communication – COM 100
Introduction to Sociology – SOC 101
Introduction to Solar Systems Astronomy (with Lab)- AST 111
Macroeconomic Principles – ECN 211
Microeconomic Principles: Decision Making Under Scarcity – ECN 212
Perspectives on Grand Challenges for Engineering – FSE 150
Precalculus – MAT 170
Programming for Everyone: Introduction to Programming – CSE 110
Technological, Social, and Sustainable Systems – CEE 181
Western Civilization: Ancient and Medieval Europe – HST 102

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

ASU “Regular” Admissions

ASU’s ~~Earned Admissions~~ 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. Students who complete ~~Earned Admissions~~ Universal Learner courses are automatically admitted into ASU. 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 advice for HS4CC families from Jennifer: When high school students earn college credit, they can do so while keeping their college status unchanged- in other words, even with a ton of college credit, high school students still apply as a first time freshman for college admission and financial aid. This specific program was designed for students to “earn admission” as a transfer student at ASU (if you apply to other colleges, you’re still applying as a freshman- this is ASU specific) As such, you’ll want to consider whether or not it is in your teen’s best interest to automatically enroll as an ASU transfer student, or if you want to press the issue and have them reclassified as an ASU freshman. Once I have more feedback from HS4CC families using this program and staying at ASU, I’ll have more information to share about making this decision at this college.

If you decide to use ~~Earned Admission~~ Universal Learner at ASU, I strongly recommend you bundle your college credit with 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.