Dual- Enrollment Resources for Homeschoolers

November 11, 2024 /

I often have parents ask me about dual-enrollment as both of my homeschoolers have attended universities as dual-enrollment students. Dual enrollment is a way for high school students to earn university credit while in high school. It is by no way the only way. It is one of many paths to earning university credit early on. From my research I could not see any restrictions to these programs based on your nationality or country of origin but please contact the school directly or ask for help if you need more clarification about your specific situation. I do not in any way represent any of these schools. I am a mom who has been through the process trying to lend support to you and your family. Dual enrollment lends itself to be a beautiful tool for homeschoolers as it allows the homeschooled student to earn university credit that also counts towards their high school requirements and the bonus is it costs a ton less than typical university tuition.

At the time of this writing, here is a list of schools that have dual enrollment programs, their fees, age of admission, whether they allow international enrollment or if you must be a US citizen, length of course and finally cost.

Dual enrollment is a tool that can serve our families in multiple ways. I was able to use it to cut down on the number of courses required for a university degree which then cuts down on time spent at university and cost spent at university. Dual enrollment courses are a fraction of the cost of university courses that are required after a student graduates.

Please research the university your student plans to attend as some universities do not accept university credit hours earned before matriculation such as Harvard University. Or in our case we were able to eliminate a need for a foundations year since my student had over 40 credit hours of university when he applied for his law degree at a well-known British university. Dual enrollment worked for us, but it doesn’t work for everyone. Each person’s educational path is unique. Please take the time to do your own research and find the path that is perfect for your personal journey.

There are laws governing homeschoolers in the United States based on the state one resides in. There are also state by state dual enrollment opportunities so if it is important to you to attend a school in a specific state then start by doing a simple search such as “[State] dual enrollment for homeschoolers” and see what you can find in your preferred state.

Here are some of the universities I am aware of at this time with programs for high school students:


Bluefield College

Website: https://www.bluefield.edu/admissions/early-college-admissions/
Cost: The cost is $100 per credit again with the typical class being 3-4 credit hours. Age: Students can begin at the sophomore level which is age 14-15.
Degree: Degree: YES! High school students can earn an associate degree. International: I didn’t see any discrepancy.

The course offerings are:

General Education Offerings for Online Early College (Associate Degree)
Composition

  • ENG 1013 – Intro to the Writing Process
  • ENG 1023 – Argumentative & Analytical Writing Christian Studies

• CST 1103 – Biblical Perspectives

  • CST 2404 – Ethics Health
  • ESS 1581 – Fitness Fundamentals
  • COR 2002 – Personal Wellness Business
  • BUS 2513 – Principles of Macroeconomics Math
  • MAT 1213 – College Algebra Speech
  • COM 1023 – Fundamentals of Speech History
  • HIS 1033 – World Civilization
  • HIS 2013 – United States History Literature

• ENG 2003 – Literature Appreciation Fine Arts

• ART 1413 – Art Appreciation Science

  • BIO 1113 – Human Biology & Lab
  • PHS 1033 Physical Science & Lab
  • CHM 2203 – The Science of Chocolate Social Science
  • PSY 1013 – Intro to Psychology
  • CRJ 2013 – Intro to Criminal Justice Boyce College Website: https://boycecollege.com/academics/dual-enrollment/ Cost: The cost is $107 per credit hour with a 33 credit hour limit. Age: 15+
    Requirements: (From the website)
  • Applicants must be 15 years of age and have a minimum 3.0 high school gpa.
  • Official test scores (ACT/SAT/CLT) are required to be submitted if the student has already taken the exam. Scores must be sent directly from the testing agency. If you have not taken a standardized test, you are not required to submit a score.
  • Admitted students may take a maximum of two courses per fall/spring semester, one course during winter/summer, and a maximum of 33 credit hours total through Boyce College while in high school.
  • Communicating with Boyce professors is expected to be done by the student and not a family member.
  • Dual Enrollment Application (online)
  • ACT/SAT/CLT/PRAXIS scores (if taken)
  • High School Transcript with qualifying 3.0 GPA
  • Boyce Parental/High School Consent Form

Bryan College

Website: https://www.bryan.edu/admissions/dual-enrollment/ Cost: Tuition is $171 per credit.
Age: 15+.
Requirements:

  • All new students must apply for acceptance and be notified by the Dual Enrollment office of their acceptance before registering for courses.
  • Dual Enrollment students may only register for 100 and 200-level courses.
  • Dual enrollment students may register for a maximum of 12 credit hours for both fall and spring semesters. For summer sessions, a maximum of 3 credit hours per session is allowed.

Grand Canyon University:

Website: https://www.gcu.edu/individual-courses/dual-enrollment Cost: $52.50 per credit hour. Courses are 3-4 hours per course. Age: 15+ with required GPA.
Degree: Can my student earn an associate degree here? No.

GCU is one that my own family has utilized. I want to first inform you that it is a Christian based school although none of the secular classes we have attended at GCU have had any Christian “theme.”

The schedule runs every 7 weeks. The cost is $52.50 per credit hour with most classes being 3-4 credits.

Qualifications directly from the website: Dual Enrollment Program Qualifications at GCU
GCU dual enrollment courses are available to high school juniors and seniors with an unweighted GPA of 3.0 or above. Sophomores with an unweighted GPA of 3.25 or above can also take dual enrollment classes in high school. Please see the University Policy Handbook for more information.

All students are subject to GCU course prerequisites and course policies, which may include online placement tests.

There is a restriction that only 2 courses can be taken at one time. I have allowed my students to take 2 courses once and found it was too much for them, so our family requirement is only 1 university dual enrollment course at any given time.

After reading through the handbook, I don’t see anything that would restrict a none US national from taking these classes, however, I would always recommend asking a school counselor. When I enrolled my son and daughter we were required to work with an international counselor. I do not foresee a roadblock for other nationalities.

Indiana Wesleyan University

Website: https://www.indwes.edu/undergraduate/admissions/dual-enrollment/ Cost: $150 per credit hour with a 16 credit hour limit.

Age: 16+.
Degree: Can my student earn an associate degree here? No. Requirements (from the website):

  • High School GPA of 3.0 or higher.
  • Application with grade release
  • Letter of recommendation

o Students enrolled in a high school should request the letter of recommendation from their guidance counselor. Students who are homeschooled should request the letter of recommendation from an academic reference who is a non-relative.

LeTourneau University

https://www.letu.edu/admissions/dual-credit.html

Cost: $90 per credit hour with classes ranging from 3- 4 hours per course.
Age: Open to ALL highschool students so this has the lowest age of 13-14 depending on your student.
Requirement:

  • Submit a high school transcript detailing courses taken and grades received before the date of dual enrollment. (Not required if attending a partner school.)
  • Have a 3.0 GPA (unweighted)
  • Be enrolled in high school before the first day of the semester.

• Official high school transcript

o Transcripts must be emailed directly by the high school
to [email protected], provided through an electronic e-transcript source (i.e. Parchment), by fax to (765) 677-2333, or via mail to the Office of Admissions.

This school does not have any credit limits which is super nice. It is known as a Christian Polytechnic school focused on engineering subjects however they seem to also cater to non- engineering minded students. Scholarship opportunities are available for students who continue at the school for their post high school University studies.

Liberty University

https://www.liberty.edu/online-academy/dual-enrollment/

Cost: $549 per class (not per credit)
Age: 14-20
Requirement: Student must be enrolled in their online K-12 program in addition to their dual enrollment.

I included Liberty University as it is known for these programs, however it is not for everyone with the above stated requirement.

Ignite Learning

https://learningignite.com/college

Cost: $190 per credit or 1900 per semester for 10 credits or more.

Age: Freshman through senior.
Requirements:

Application: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe7Lhd63ZWUfY7wnwHpR1wMzlI6jYshTBhWVXyADAq0tRATZg/viewform

This list is in no way exhaustive. There are 100s of these programs in the United States alone. The above resources may be a bit outdated based on when you are getting to read this article. Most of the courses offered in these programs are the exact same as those offered to the university students at that same institution; however, our students will pay pennies on the dollar as high school students versus once they graguate and become university students. Yes. For the same exact class. Most of these programs are remote so you can benefit from them regardless of your location which is fantastic and further, many are also independent study so your student can work at their own pace.

I hope these resources help you in some way. If you ever have any questions, feel free to get in touch. I am happy to help if I am able to. Happy learning!