Before you get too excited, these courses are expensive, but they hit 2 major points of interest (1) they are SELF-PACED and (2) offer many unique classes in subjects that are normally very hard to find for dual enrollment students. This is just a sample, they offer 114 self-paced courses in total.
Continue reading “Dual Enrollment: Kinesiology, Nutrition, Public Health, Geography Lab, Norwegian”
Arizona State University has added another NEW course to their Universal Learner (UL) program: CIS 394 Location Analytics for Business. This new 3 credit course is available as a self-paced course in the upper level division (junior/senior), which are difficult to find at this price point.
Continue reading “NEW ASU Self-Paced UL Course: CIS 394 Location Analytics for Business”
Over 80% of high school students who take dual enrollment courses do so through their own high school. It’s unique for homeschoolers because 100% of our community takes these courses independently, which is to say they enroll with the college directly.
Can you think of advantages of your student being enrolled independently? I can think of 3 that I’ve experienced with my own teens. I’m sure you have many of your own too.
ASSOCIATE DEGREES What are Associate Degrees? In this presentation we’ll explore the various types of Associate Degrees and consider whether or not your teen should pursue one in high school. We’ll look at the situations where it is to your benefit as well as situations where it adds extra time and money to your teen’s college plan. We’ll discuss the times when they transfer perfectly, and times when they don’t transfer at all. Watch Now (1 hour 15 minutes)
Want to watch a HS4CC event live? See our calendar
Affordable Dual Enrollment Spring 2022 Edition
Join me on January 7th @ 2pm EST
In this 1-hour live session, we’ll look at my 3 top picks for the most affordable Christian, and the top 3 most affordable secular, dual enrollment programs for 2022. This workshop is especially helpful for families without access to free dual enrollment in their state.
$2.99 technology fee to attend live and participate in the Q&A, or don’t register and watch the recorded version for free later.
Affordable Dual Enrollment Spring 2022 Edition
Join me on Friday January 7th @ 2pm EST
In this 1-hour live session, we’ll look at my 3 top picks for the most affordable Christian, and the top 3 most affordable secular, dual enrollment programs for 2022. This workshop is especially helpful for families without access to free dual enrollment in their state.
$2.99 technology fee to attend live and participate in the Q&A, or don’t register and watch the recorded version for free later.
Transfer tools and websites like Transferology are great when you know how to use them! In this post, I’ll explain how to get the most out of these resources for your HS4CC program.
Continue reading “Using Transfer Websites in your HS4CC Program”
Question: I have daughter in her first semester of dual enrollment. She has all A’s except for Pre Cal Algebra. She currently has a C. She is worried about her GPA.
Everything else (other grades, testing, etc.) are high achieving. It’s this one class. She is afraid it will affect her college and scholarship opportunities. Any words of wisdom?
Part of being your teen’s best guidance counselor is choosing the right kind of college credit for them in high school. In this session, we’ll compare and contrast the major differences between the two popular credit by exam programs and dual enrollment. There are fifteen key differences between these programs, and you’ll leave with a solid understanding about how to make the best choices for your family. Watch Now (1 hour)
If you’re using dual enrollment in high school, you’re probably faced with the problem of figuring out how many college credits vs high school credits your teen can balance and still pull good grades. This is no small problem because college classes leave a paper trail! In short- it’s part of their permanent record. Continue reading “Are 4 college classes too many?”
Arizona State University has added another NEW course: CIS 309 Business Process Management is a self-paced 3 credit course, available starting January, 2022. Note that this is also an upper level (junior/senior) course, which are hard to find at such a low price!
Continue reading “NEW Self-Paced ASU UL Course: CIS 309 Business Process Management”
Does College Algebra replace high school algebra 2? Can you use CLEP to replace American Literature? In this post, you’ll learn which dual enrollment college class will replace your high school classes.
Continue reading “Replacing a High School Class with a College Class: Match-up Guide”
Arizona State University’s Universal Learner Program, in partnership with Google, is offering a new Google IT Certification! From ASU’s site:
“Learn the skills you need for an introductory-level job in IT support.
In this online program, you’ll work through six ASU Universal Learner Courses that leverage the Google IT Support Certificate, as well as supplemental industry material that is aimed at giving you the best preparation possible to begin a career in Information Technology.
Upon completion, you’ll receive a co-branded professional certificate from ASU and Google, as well as 15 credit hours that you can apply towards a bachelor’s degree.”
Courses are designed to be completed sequentially, and are self paced! Students have up to 1 year to complete each course, and the first course begins January 2022. The certification courses include:
CIS 194 Technical Support Fundamentals – 1 credit
CIS 194 Computer Networking – 2 credits
CIS 194 Operating Systems and You: Becoming a Power User – 3 credits
CIS 294 System Administration and IT Infrastructure Services – 3 credits
CIS 394 IT Security: Defense Against the Digital Dark Arts – 3 credits
CIS 402 Privacy, Ethics, and Compliance – 3 credits
The first 3 courses do have the same course number, which we have been advised may change in the future. It is common for colleges to have the same course number on survey courses which may change topic with each offering. The first course only costs $25, with no fee to have the course transcripted. As with all Universal Learner program courses, the remaining courses cost just $25 to start and students only pay $400 at the end of the course if they like the grade. There is no record of failure if the student does not complete the course or receives a lower grade than wanted. Simply do not pay the $400 for the course to be added to the transcript. Retake courses as many times as is needed to pass with the grade you want.
According to ASU, the courses must be completed in sequence and the next course will become available in their catalog (dashboard). The total cost for the courses in the certificate is $2150, which is paid at the time the student signs up and then completes each course and chooses to have it transcripted. Cost per credit averages out to be ~$143/cr for the full 15 college credits. The certificate will be emailed to you upon completion of the program and will have both the ASU and Google logos on it, along with your name.
For those wondering if the courses are the same as Coursera, ASU said “These courses are similar to the courses on Coursera (and leverage some of the same content), but there are additional learning outcomes from our courses and learners achieve academic credit with ours, whereas the ones at Coursera don’t have academic credit guaranteed with them. (Some institutions may validate the credential for credit, but many won’t)” This is referring to ACE credit that some institutions will accept for college credit. Please see “30 Ways to Earn College Credit” on our website for additional information about ACE credit and its transferability. Coursera’s courses have been approved by ACE for up to 12 lower level credits (100-200 level). Please note that the amount of credit granted for ACE credit is determined by the receiving institution. ASU’s certificate includes 4 courses with 9 total lower level credits, and 2 courses with 6 total upper level (300-400 level) credits.
We also asked our contacts at ASU which degrees the credits would apply to: “These will serve as elective credits at the University. They stack really well into any business major at the institution, or majors with several elective credits (liberal studies, organizational leadership, technical writing, etc). However, the electives should be applicable for any major.”
For more information about the Universal Learner program, visit our HS4CC UL page and join our ASU for Homeshoolers Facebook group.
“Admission departments like to see Advanced Placement courses on transcripts. AP and IB courses are considered the most rigorous of all high school curriculum because they are assessed by national organizations. Dual enrollment is another way to demonstrate a student’s ability to handle college level rigor. While there are many advantages to dual enrolling, keep in mind that some admissions offices view dual enrollment as less rigorous because of its lack of standardized oversight.”
Continue reading “Fast Tip = Fast Bunk”
If your student is planning a degree at Liberty, BIBL104 is one of the requirements. My 2 boys took it this semester online through dual enrollment, and here is my feedback.
Continue reading “Parent Review: Liberty University BIBL104”
High school students may take college courses from a handful of schools before eventually sending everything off to their target college. In most cases, you plan those courses without a college’s guarantee or advice from an advisor. Today I want to tell you about the “Future Course Approval” process for students planning a degree at Liberty University.
Continue reading “Future Course Approval @ Liberty”
Ok, what? If your teen isn’t going to college, then why should they earn college credit? In this post, we’ll look beyond their immediate plans and I’ll give you 12 good reasons I think they should earn college credit anyway.
Continue reading “12 Reasons to Earn College Credit if your Teen isn’t Going to College”
You’re scanning for your teen’s perfect course and you found it! But wait, there are two sections, each taught by a different professor. What if it says “TBA?” How do you choose?? Finding the right dual enrollment courses can be stressful and intimidating, but here are a few good ways to find the best one.
Continue reading “Finding the “Right” Dual Enrollment Professor”
For our families only! I’m thrilled to announce that Poetry in America, in partnership with Arizona State University and the ASU Center for Public Humanities, is offering a for-credit English Course to high-school students, Poetry in America, 1850-1945.
Continue reading “ASU UL Course: Poetry in America for HS4CC Portal Students Only!”
Arizona State University is adding Universal Learner courses to enable students to earn their Applied Business Data Analytics (ABDA) certificate! The certificate is comprised of 6 courses, with 18 total college credits.
Continue reading “NEW ASU UL Certificate: Applied Business Data Analytics (ABDA)”
Arizona State University’s Universal Learner Program has added another new course to it’s lineup Spring semester. CIS 194 Technical Support Fundamentals launches January 2022. The new course is part of their new initiative with Google. Students can complete 6 IT courses and earn the Google IT Certification.
Continue reading “New ASU UL course: CIS 194 Technical Support Fundamentals”
Arizona State University has added another NEW course to their Universal Learner (UL) program: STS 220 Introduction to Social Transformation. This new 3 credit course is available as an 8-week teacher-paced course in the lower level division (freshman/sophomore) starting January 2022.
Continue reading “NEW ASU UL Course: STS 220 Introduction to Social Transformation”
College-Based Dual Enrollment
Excellent transferability
Hardly available five years ago, dual enrollment is hot now and growing in popularity. High school students enrolled in a dual enrollment program, are “double-dipping” a course for high school and college credit. As an example, a student may take English 101 at the local college, and the parent also “counts” the course as their 12th grade English class. It’s a fantastic opportunity if you’re aware it exists.
Caution: Dual enrollment courses won’t be censored for your teen. Maturity should always be considered.
Dual enrollment is not universally defined. I use “dual enrollment” as a generic catch-all term to mean any college course a high school student takes for college credit and high school credit at the same time. Be aware that most colleges or school districts will have a specific definition. It can get complicated, but we will help you navigate the process.
Examples of program brand names:
Career and College Promise
Middle College
Early College
Postsecondary Enrollment Option (PSEO)
Concurrent Enrollment
Dual Credit
Joint High School
Articulated High School
The concept is the same, but the details will vary—sometimes a lot. A typical dual enrollment program is open to 11th, and 12th-grade students while meeting a high school diploma and college degree requirement simultaneously. They offer an assortment of classes and are open to anyone with the ambition to succeed.
The student attends class, online or in person, along with the regular college students. Some states offer this for free; others charge full tuition, so you’ll have to check your community. Registration for homeschool students is done directly with the college. If you’d like, you can even search beyond your state. Many community colleges offer their distance learning courses as dual enrollment, so the location of the physical campus isn’t relevant. With nearly 2000 community colleges in the United States, this opens up a fantastic opportunity for homeschooled teens.
The down-side to dual enrollment is simple, if your child bombs the class, the grade is on their permanent record at the college. Colleges require you to disclose all previously earned credit under penalty, so that “D” may count against future college applications, but for sure counts in their college GPA. For that reason, do not rush your child into a course before they’re ready, and consider taking only 1 course at first. Adjusting to a college schedule is difficult for most people of any age.
When a student “goes away” to college, tuition prices are often calculated based on the student’s state of residence. If you attend “in-state” that generally means a lower tuition cost than if you attend a college “out-of-state.” Students in high school are in a different category, and dual enrollment programs ALWAYS mean the student is still in high school living at home- so “where” they take their classes can be as simple as going down the street to your local community college, or as a distance learner attending a class 3 time zones away.
Participating in dual enrollment out of state is always a self-pay situation. Financial aid is not an option for high school students, so anyone choosing this option must always budget for tuition and books. Most colleges that offer dual enrollment will significantly reduce their tuition for high school students! A private liberal arts college may charge regular students $2,000 per class while high school students can take that same class for as little as $300. As you can see, it’s to your teen’s advantage to take as many classes at the reduced rate as possible.
HS4CC Out of State Dual Enrollment List
But wait….
There are a number of states that have robust free dual enrollment college programs, and if you are fortunate enough to live in one of these states, you’ll pay $0 tuition if your teen is in high school. (You’ll pay full price once they graduate). Since some dual enrollment is regulated per college, and others per district, and others per state, and from there may have different rules for homeschooled teens, it’s really hard to find these programs! There are no master lists that are updated often, but we’ve built Homeschooling for College Credit Facebook groups in every state to specifically address this question.
High School Hamster Wheel Betsy Jewell is a career and college coach and host of High School Hamster Wheel Podcast. The High School Hamster Wheel is a podcast for parents of teens and young adults exploring paths through and beyond high school. In this episode, we dive into what inspired Jennifer Cook-DeRosa to launch Homeschooling for College Credit and how she tested out of two degrees in 18 months. She also explains how to adapt these principles for adult learners or teens who aren’t homeschooled.
“Talk about eye opening! I have two kids in high school, one about to graduate, and most of this was news to me…I am blown away by how much Jennifer knows about all of this and she does this all for free! What an incredible opportunity for parents and teens to save time and money while earning college credits.” -Betsy Jewell
Homeschooling for College Credit 