Dual Enrollment with a College

Dual enrollment (DE) is a great way to get a head start on college.

The Pros:

Save time since it will earn college credit in high school and it will take the place of a class that you, as a parent, won’t need to teach or provide for yourself.

Save money. Some colleges offer discounts when taking DE classes. You can also qualify for the DE grant in TN, other states may offer something similar, and the college itself may have grants for DE.

College entrance advantage Taking a DE class looks good on your transcript and can improve your high school GPA (assuming you do well in the class). It may also give you an advantage if you choose to go to the college where you took the classes.

 

The Cons: 

Opposing character influences

If your child plans to attend the class in person at the college they will be subject to interaction with other college students and professors that most likely will not share your values and expose your child to material that you most likely chose homeschooling to avoid in the first place. High school age is a very vulnerable time when your child is still forming their own conscience and morals, it is not the time to throw them into the lion’s den.

There are some ways to avoid this.

You could choose an online option, that way the child is still under your guidance with less, if any, interaction with other students.

Homeschool students from a co-op or church can apply to the same classes and therefore have a support group among each other in the college classroom, this is rare but an option and can encourage other students to DE that may not have considered it before.

The last suggestion I have is to look for a Christian college that shares your views. Visit the college to make sure the views are shared by the students and look over the curriculum.

This brings us to the other negative aspect of DE,

You do not have a say in the curriculum, or how the professor teaches it or grades it.

I have heard the struggle of many college students about the contradictions of college teachings and their knowledge of the truth. This can affect their grade and their conscience. The option here is to choose a Christian college but still be diligent in your review of the Christian college, many have been known to take on secular views in some subjects. 

If a Christian college is not an option, another option for DE classes is, do not pick a class that would be more likely to go against your beliefs. The main ones to avoid are Science and English. Bias and viewpoints can also strongly be slanted in History.

I recommend a critical review of the class description and any information you can get on the class. Find any reviews on the teacher before signing your child up for any class. Remember this will go on their permanent record.

All that being said I believe with some careful thought, DE is a good option for homeschoolers.

 

Here are the steps you need to take for dual enrollment:

Make some decisions about what your goals are, check some college websites to narrow down your search, and then make some phone calls to college admissions.

Questions you will need to answer:

• Do you want online classes or in person at the college?
• What grade level does the college require you to be in?
• See what dual enrollment classes are available at the college.
• Will you need to take the ACT, SAT, or CLT?
• What is the cost of dual enrollment? Apply for a dual enrollment grant with FAFSA and check if the college offers grants or discounts.

Good things to know: 

• The grade you get in the dual enrollment class will be on your permanent college record so be prepared to dedicate your time and energy to it.
• The college course will also count as an extra GPA point on your high school transcript and will need to be verified by us.
• Classes are usually finished in a semester and count as 1 credit on your high school transcript.

You can check our college search page for homeschool-friendly colleges to get you started but a community or Christian college in your area or one you plan to attend after graduation may be a good choice for you also. 

Some vocational schools also offer dual enrollment.

**For any school you plan to attend always make a visit, ask questions and spend some time to make sure the atmosphere is right for you.

The college will want your “in progress” high school transcript. You can request that from your account with us. Make sure it is up to date. If they need a permission form or any other documents just note that when you request your transcript and upload the document onto your account.  Make sure you have filled out your information first as we will send it straight to the college.

Always check to make sure we have sent and the college has received the appropriate documents.  This is your responsibility.

Make sure you use our college board code #430058 when signing up for dual enrollment or taking the ACT or SAT and make sure that we receive the final records so that they will be included on your High School transcript. If the college does not have our code listed, just put AliYah Academy in manually and let us know so that we can contact the college and they can update their records.