chiguirre: Thank you! Great idea. In case it helps someone else: They will accept CLEP. Also, looks like the cc allows students to challenge a course by taking a test from the cc itself. Not sure yet if that requires being an enrolled student, though, and the competing choices and their deadlines become a mire, but we'll get there.

MamaSprout: Oo, good question. Thanks for the idea. Will look into it! Thank you.

My high school senior has been accepted to a private college. But community-college-then-transferring may be necessary financially. The local community college (in NY) has an agreement with the college, and transferring seems OK with all concerned. BUT. The community college's basic biology course requires an A or B grade on Regents Biology and Chemistry exams in the last 5 years. My kid would need to take the community college's pre-requisite bio and chem courses, which would make it impossible to complete the AS degree in 2 years. One solution may be to take these prerequisite courses online, this spring or summer, before beginning community college this fall. Frustrating. Especially since she's a great science student who has done well with bio, chem, advanced bio, and advanced chem in high school already. We'd probably have to set aside our advanced chemistry to do the online community college stuff. Any thoughts? Other possibilities? TIA!