Dual Credit and College Credit
Earn College Credits Before College
After the early homeschool years, we began studying to earn college credit. There was no rush; we tried two courses at Arizona State University(ASU) Universal Learner program, and we passed and earned the credits. We also discovered an advantage to earning college credit early.
Work Smarter by Taking One Course Instead of Three Courses
Several subjects, including algebra, history, American Government, and English, are covered in Junior high, high school, and again required in college. Rather than repeating these courses three times, an 11-year-old homeschool student can complete a college-credit course just once and be finished with the subject. Taking one course per subject instead of three eliminates years of schoolwork. This method is called dual credit because the same course appears on both the high school and college transcripts.
There are 3 ways to earn college credit before starting college: college credit from another college, credit by exam, and college credit from an approved organization. Each College has its own rules and requirements, so choose your college credits carefully.
“Real” College Credit (This is the most accepted credit for transfer to your final college)
Our first college credits were earned at Arizona State University (ASU) using their Universal Learner program.
– Open to everyone at any age.
– The cost to enroll in a course is $25.
– Pay an additional $400 ONLY IF YOU PASS to earn the credits. This is about ⅓ of the normal cost at ASU.
– ASU was a “low stress” way to start acquiring college credit because if we failed to pass the course, the cost would only be $25.
Credits earned at Community Colleges and accredited 4-year colleges are “real” college credit. Not all colleges will accept younger students.
College Credit by Exam is Widely Accepted
There are 3 exam programs where anyone can self-study and then pass an exam to earn College Credit. Earning credit through exams is far less expensive than college tuition, and there is no minimum age.
Advanced Placement (AP) exams cover 39 college-level subjects and are accessible to all students. These AP tests are administered in May of each year at High schools, and students must register well in advance. Homeschool students can take AP tests by registering at a high school, and the cost is $98 per test. These tests are not that convenient because they are only given once a year, and you have to take them on a set date and time at a high school (not online).
College Credit courses from non-universities (accepted at 2000+ Accredited Universities)
Students of any age also earn college credit by taking self-paced, online courses that are not taught by colleges. Some of the most well-known course providers are Saylor Academy (https://www.saylor.org), Study.com (study.com), StraighterLine (straighterline.com), Sophia Learning (sophia.org), ALEKS (aleks.com), and others. These courses provide all the study material. The student is graded on assignments, quizzes, and tests. The cost per course varies from $30 to $200.
Some students prefer these self-paced courses because they are graded on written assignments, quizzes, and exams, whereas college credits earned by exam live or die on the results of one test.
There are thousands of recommended courses accepted by colleges that are listed on the American Council on Education (ACE) website. For example, we received college credit by earning Google Professional Certificates. Check out the ACE website for possible course options.
