Does your state have free Dual Enrollment?

[foxbridgeacademy]

So we're always on the move, a few years here a few years there.  DS will be able to start at the local CC in 3 years, around about the time we'll want to move.  If we stay here any longer then that we'll be stuck all the way through College (for both kids) and as much as I love being "home" I can't take it that long.  So one of the major things to consider when looking for a new job (DH can go just about anywhere) is cost of College.  I'm having trouble finding out which states or specific Colleges offer free DE to HSer's.... 

 

ETA: Available to Homeschoolers

[regentrude]

MO does not. However, two years of community college is free for public school students who have sufficiently high grades and fulfill certain service requirements (A+ program)

[mjbucks1]

Ohio only has free DE programs for children who go to public, private, or charter schools.

[Melissa B]

Florida does.

[Sunshine State Sue]

Florida does.

 

Our county has free CC for 10th-12th grade homeschoolers (11th-12th grade for public and private).  I think most counties only have free DE for 11th-12th grade, but I could be wrong.

 

Tuition at public university in FL is one of the cheapest in the country.  But, imo, it affect the quality of the education.  YMMV.

[Riverland]

https://www.k12.wa.us/SecondaryEducation/CareerCollegeReadiness/RunningStart.aspx

 

Washington state does have free dual enrollment.  It is called Running Start.  It is available to all juniors and seniors (public, private, or home schooled) provided they score well enough on the compass exam.  It is generally a community college program, but I do know that at least some of the 4 years are also eligible.

 

For public school students, it is possible to earn an AA simultaneously with your high school diploma. But, a really nice benefit is that students who earn an associates degree can automatically request a Washington state public high school diploma.  The student never has to take a single class from a public high school nor fulfill any of their graduation requirements.  The state legislature has deemed that earning an AA in Washington is sufficient enough evidence to prove you are worthy of a public high school diploma. 

 

Tuition is free for high school juniors and seniors for up to full-time enrollment.  Under some circumstances, 5^th year seniors may also be eligible.  The student/parents pay for books, supplies, transportation, fees, etc.  Although, for transportation some community colleges offers free bus passes to Running Start students.

 

Some cc’s also have several Direct Transfer AA’s which the 4 year public universities, plus some private ones, accept at full value.

 

It is a fantastic deal!

 

Oh… and contrary to the recent thread concerning the constant gray skies and rain in the PNW…. We offer a huge range of climates.  Much of the eastern half of Washington is a desert!  In many ways the eastern & western halves are polar opposites….climate , politics, density, topography…..

 

[foxbridgeacademy]

Hmmmm, we've considered the North West before....  I'll have to start looking at COL and Weather and of course jobs.

We've lived in Florida and although I loved all the warmth and sunshine we left because honestly there were just to many people and the COL was to high for the rate of pay.  We have to live near a manufacturing city/town so no boonies for us to bring down COL. Don't think I could talk DH into moving back either, I told him I'm retiring to the Beach and he said I could visit him in the Mountains.

 

Any more options?

[SebastianCat]

Our county has free CC for 10th-12th grade homeschoolers (11th-12th grade for public and private).  I think most counties only have free DE for 11th-12th grade, but I could be wrong.

 

Tuition at public university in FL is one of the cheapest in the country.  But, imo, it affect the quality of the education.  YMMV.

 

I'm in Florida as well, and we're a few years away from DE......but my understanding is that homeschoolers must pay for books when taking dual enrollment classes at a CC.   Public school students don't pay anything.   

[EndOfOrdinary]

Oregon has free dual enrollment, depending on income they even offer stipends for books.

[SkateLeft]

Minnesota has free dual enrollment for 11th and 12th grade students. Personally, I think it's the best program in the country, hands-down. MN is also one of the few states that offers state tax deductions for homeschool and educational expenses.

 

Here's the information on MN's PSEO program.

 

Edited to add: MN's program is not need based or income restricted. It covers books and tuition at community colleges and public and private universities throughout the state.

[DragonFaerie]

I think Georgia's is free, too.  It's called ACCEL.

[Melissa B]

I'm in Florida as well, and we're a few years away from DE......but my understanding is that homeschoolers must pay for books when taking dual enrollment classes at a CC.   Public school students don't pay anything.   

 

We choose to pay for our books, but there is a form you can fill out that makes you a "public schooler in-name-only" and the school will loan you the books for free. Supposedly, there are no strings attached and I do know some who have used the form without issue.

[Susie in CA]

California does.

 

[foxbridgeacademy]

Thanks! I appreciate all the info.  I'm particularly enamored with the idea of living in the NW, especially Washington, Oregon, and maybe parts of CA, depending on CoL, weather, and density of population.  We've also considered GA before, my favorite city by far is Savannah, DD would like to attend College there (at 10 who knows though right?)  As wonderful as MN is, I can't handle the cold, another reason we won't be here in Indiana long term. 

[Melissa in NC]

Maryland pays half the cost of DE.  But Maryland is expensive and colleges here are costly.

[KarenNC]

NC has free tuition, but you have to pay books/fees. It's for juniors and seniors only, run through the community college system, and has just been revamped. One of the drawbacks is that they no longer offer any foreign language through the program. Here's the program in the Charlotte region http://www.cpcc.edu/hsprograms/approved-academic-pathways (since it has been so recently revamped, not all of the information online at various sites is accurate--this one seems up to date).

[EndOfOrdinary]

We live in the mountains of Washington State.  I very much like our homeschool laws here.  They are very middle of the road - annual testing OR a portfolio which is "assessed" by a certified teacher.  There is no specification of what assessed means, it is more for the parent to get feedback and to be sure there is nothing horrifically wrong (like abuse or undiagnosed major learning disability).  If the assessment catches something, the parent merely has to make "good faith efforts to correct any discrepancy." Kids have to show study/exposure time in 11 subjects - bascially every main ones including art, health, and PE, but it is physically written into the law that this will or can look dramatically different from brick and mortal schooling including unit studies.  That is it.  We are treated like a private school and can do as we wish other than those things.

 

I like it because it provides a look out for kids who might really need help, but allows me to educate my child as I see fit.

[Sunshine State Sue]

I'm in Florida as well, and we're a few years away from DE......but my understanding is that homeschoolers must pay for books when taking dual enrollment classes at a CC.   Public school students don't pay anything.   

 

This is correct.  In my neck of the woods, at least.

 

[Laura in CA]

As Susie says, CA has free DE, open to all homeschoolers.  Yes, you pay for books yourself.  A number of homeschooling kids end up taking the CHSPE (high-school proficiency exam -- a student can take it as soon as he's considered to be in 10th grade) and enrolling as a regular student to have higher priority for classes, as they tend to fill up (although my kids always got into their classes) -- then you do pay full price, although it's pretty low. About 10 years ago it was $8/unit (full price); when my older son took CC classes it was $18/unit; now it's $46/unit but seems to be stable and has not increased in the past few years.

Most of CA has high COL, though ...

 

[NCMom]

NC has free tuition, but you have to pay books/fees. It's for juniors and seniors only, run through the community college system, and has just been revamped. One of the drawbacks is that they no longer offer any foreign language through the program. Here's the program in the Charlotte region http://www.cpcc.edu/hsprograms/approved-academic-pathways (since it has been so recently revamped, not all of the information online at various sites is accurate--this one seems up to date).

Technical tracks differ by school. Also as of this past year some tech tracks are open to 9th and 10th graders. Even the academic tracks differ by school (though in theory they really should not). I just signed up my youngest dd; she is happy to do the graphic design tech track, along w/ the academic.

 

Also our county has scholarships for books. Score!

 

Hth,

Georgia

[KarenNC]

Technical tracks differ by school. Also as of this past year some tech tracks are open to 9th and 10th graders. Even the academic tracks differ by school (though in theory they really should not). I just signed up my youngest dd; she is happy to do the graphic design tech track, along w/ the academic.

 

Also our county has scholarships for books. Score!

 

Hth,

Georgia

 

I knew there were some differences in the tech tracks, but did not realize any were open to 9th/10th. Central Piedmont specifically says they only accept juniors and seniors. I wonder if the other CCs in the area are different. If this link is the most recent information, it appears they are still working out the details at the state level and colleges "may" allow 9th/10th to some tech tracks.http://www.successnc.org/content/ccp-dual-enrollment-9th-10th-graders

 

Around here, at least one county has scholarships for books for public school students because the school system made arrangements with the CC, but I haven't heard of any for homeschoolers in the three systems that are nearby. Doesn't mean they don't have them, just that I haven't heard about any.

 

We aren't at the point to be able to use it yet, but I'm hoping the local homeschool bookfair/workshops thing this summer has a speaker from the CC again this year, so I can hear more about all the changes. Given the track record, I'm fully expecting it to change in some major way again before my daughter is able to access it.

 

So, as far as relevance for the OP, if NC is at all on your list, figure out which area of the state appeals and talk directly with the community college systems that would be accessible to you, as well as realize that this program seems to fluctuate rather frequently. It's changed radically several times in the time we've been homeschooling.

[MarkT]

$40 fee for each DE class in AZ where I live. That includes a loan of the text book.

Don't know about home schoolers.

[chiguirre]

Currently, you get free tuition for two courses each semester in 11th and 12th grade, you have to pay for the books. However, this is a new rule. A couple of years ago I checked, and everyone (including kids who took the class at their ps high school) had to pay for the credits.

[Jane in NC]

 

So, as far as relevance for the OP, if NC is at all on your list, figure out which area of the state appeals and talk directly with the community college systems that would be accessible to you, as well as realize that this program seems to fluctuate rather frequently. It's changed radically several times in the time we've been homeschooling.

Yes to the bolded!

 

My son was able to take CC classes beginning at age 16 for free. The following year the state only permitted free dual enrollment for science, math and tech courses--not for courses in the humanities or social sciences.  The policies have been anything but constant!

 

I also want to note that some CCs allow dual enrolled students to register early.  Others put them at the end of the line.  Policies vary with geography and over time.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

As Susie says, CA has free DE, open to all homeschoolers. Yes, you pay for books yourself. A number of homeschooling kids end up taking the CHSPE (high-school proficiency exam -- a student can take it as soon as he's considered to be in 10th grade) and enrolling as a regular student to have higher priority for classes, as they tend to fill up (although my kids always got into their classes) -- then you do pay full price, although it's pretty low. About 10 years ago it was $8/unit (full price); when my older son took CC classes it was $18/unit; now it's $46/unit but seems to be stable and has not increased in the past few years.

Most of CA has high COL, though ...

Does this vary by area and CC?

 

I'm new to CA. Of the cc's I've checked in San Diego some seem accustomed to homeschoolers. The one closest to us didn't seem to know what to do with a student not in a charter school.

 

One cc north of us isn't accepting any high schoolers except for those attending partner high schools.

 

I haven't seen mention of free enrollment. I'm expecting to pay $46 per credit if we can work it out.

[Penguin]

(snip)

 

So, as far as relevance for the OP, if NC is at all on your list, figure out which area of the state appeals and talk directly with the community college systems that would be accessible to you, as well as realize that this program seems to fluctuate rather frequently. It's changed radically several times in the time we've been homeschooling.

With apologies to the OP, I am following the NC info carefully. NC is our stateside home, and I don't know when we will end up back there. Obviously, it varies quite a bit by county (?). I looked at the dual enrollment policy for our CC and it said that only math and science courses were free for dual enrollment.

[Jane in NC]

With apologies to the OP, I am following the NC info carefully. NC is our stateside home, and I don't know when we will end up back there. Obviously, it varies quite a bit by county (?). I looked at the dual enrollment policy for our CC and it said that only math and science courses were free for dual enrollment.

 

The funding changed with the rise of early college high schools at CCs and Unis.  Since my son is no longer participating in the program, I was not sure if they had reverted to their previous method of funding humanities and social sciences.

 

Another dynamic at play is that our local public high school now offers dual enrollment courses at the high school.  Transportation and scheduling prevented some of the students at the brick and mortar from participating in dual enrollment.  Bottom line is that the school system is trying to bring college credit opportunities to traditional students.  I am not sure how much consideration is given to home schoolers when policies are determined.

 

[Crimson Wife]

California does.

 

Yes, but DE students have last priority and there is such a shortage of courses that they typically won't get in. All the HSers I know who use CC classes advise taking the CA High School Proficiency Exam so that the student can actually get into the classes. CC tuition is ridiculously cheap- something like $22/credit. The textbook is often more expensive than the tuition (if purchased new).

[KarenNC]

With apologies to the OP, I am following the NC info carefully. NC is our stateside home, and I don't know when we will end up back there. Obviously, it varies quite a bit by county (?). I looked at the dual enrollment policy for our CC and it said that only math and science courses were free for dual enrollment.

 

Not all the websites have the updated info, since the most recent changes just happened for next fall, I believe. I know for Central Piedmont, for example, not all the pages on their website have been updated yet. 

[abacus2]

TN does not. They have a small scholarship available.

[MicheleinMN]

PSEO - In Minnesota is wonderful.

 

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/StuSuc/CollReadi/PSEO/

[Laura in CA]

Does this vary by area and CC?

 

I'm new to CA. Of the cc's I've checked in San Diego some seem accustomed to homeschoolers. The one closest to us didn't seem to know what to do with a student not in a charter school.

 

One cc north of us isn't accepting any high schoolers except for those attending partner high schools.

 

I haven't seen mention of free enrollment. I'm expecting to pay $46 per credit if we can work it out.

 

I actually deleted a sentence in that post (b/c I tend to be too wordy!) saying that sometimes you have to "educate" the CC about homeschoolers. 

 

I haven't heard of limiting feeder schools at any CCs in Northern California, but I suppose, like the CSUs, they can set their own policies if they're overcrowded.

 

Are you doing an R-4/PSA? I seem to remember you had a complicated situation ... Anyway, I'm sure you know that technically there are no "homeschoolers" in CA -- you file as a private school (or join a charter school, or use a credentialed teacher, etc.). So technically, one approaches a CC as a private school principal. Some hs'ers are adamant/militant that we should never mention the word "homeschool," just private school, but I've had better luck using both ... As someone else in CA posted here recently, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar, so being patient but persistent often does the trick.

 

Someone on the HSC Yahoo group simply had to go buy some official-looking seals and slap one on her kid's transcript (diploma?) to make it look official. She could have asked to talk to a superior (and that's been done), but in that case there was an easy way to satisfy the person at the window. A friend of mine had to involve the dean of the school (her son had taken the CHSPE but she hadn't graduated him, so she did NOT want him enrolled as a regular student) but got approval within a few hours ...

 

I actually had to "educate" the UCSD admissions office about a similar issue (what make a transcript "official"?) last month. Perhaps things are different down in San Diego (they told me that out of something like 70,000 applications last year, they didn't have a SINGLE independent homeschooler enroll! Yowza!), but they seemed to think our homeschooling was authorized by the local school district, or by the county, etc. Perhaps they meant a charter school, or a public b&m school's homeschooling program? Anyway, after I showed them the section on the PSA at the CDE website, they realized i was right, haha, and that I was indeed authorized by the state of CA to print out my son's transcript at home and sign it all by my little self. (They did ask me to have the PSA notarized, which I didn't think was a deal-breaker.)

 

All that to say ... yes, each CC sets it own policy -- some take kids K-12 (!), others gr. 10-12 (ours), etc. -- and some are ridiculously overcrowded (even though there are 112 of them!), so I can see them limiting dual enrollment. Our local CC recently was able to move DE registration to just a week or two before classes start (boo!) -- it used to be 4-6 weeks before classes start. Just make sure you don't qualify, even if they think you don't -- e.g., the feeder schools situation might be problematic (but nothing a meeting with, say, a dean couldn't change, after they see how earnest you & your kids are), but in the non-charter-school situation -- they must have a provision for private-school kids, right? And that's what independent homeschoolers are (I'm not sure if you're in this category). They might need a little patient, persistent education about the laws. And yes, sometimes I get tired of "reinventing the wheel," but I figure it helps out hs'ers who come after me ... and my kids benefit, too!

 

Oh, about the fees -- as a DE student it will be free (but yes, last priority in registering). If a student has passed the CHSPE *or* has graduated from high school (and as the principal, you determine this), he can take classes as a regular student and pays the $46/credit. Plenty of folks I know go this route.

[Laura in CA]

Yes, but DE students have last priority and there is such a shortage of courses that they typically won't get in. All the HSers I know who use CC classes advise taking the CA High School Proficiency Exam so that the student can actually get into the classes. CC tuition is ridiculously cheap- something like $22/credit. The textbook is often more expensive than the tuition (if purchased new).

 

 

Just want to mention this -- we live in the same general area, and there are some of us who go to a bit more trouble and *don't* go the CHSPE route (my sons wanted to apply to 4-year colleges as freshmen and not as transfers, and I didn't want to potentially jeopardize this status; plus I'm cheap, haha! free is free :) ). Oh, and I suppose I should mention that they had no trouble getting into their classes, but they were taking things like orchestra and advanced math -- it took a bit of contacting the professors, nail-biting, etc. but in the end there was no problem getting a seat. If my kids were interested in taking popular lower-level, gen-ed, etc. classes that fill up instantly -- yes, we certainly would have gone the CHSPE route.

 

And yes, even full-price is relatively cheap, but is now $46/credit statewide. My son & his friends have taken classes at a number of CCs in our area and it's $46/credit universally. Here is the fee history -- until the mid-1980s CCCs were free for EVERYONE. Crazy! Oh, and UC Berkeley was $700/year ... those days are LONG over .... Anyway it seems to be holding steady at $46 for now.

 

 

 

 

ETA: yes, I'm cheap, but then ... for my son's senior year (after he had maxed out the CC), he took upper-level math etc. at the local CSU -- NO problem getting into any classes, but you pay full price per class. (Thus there are only about 10 DE students at this giant Cal State campus!)

Oh, that's something else I wanted to mention -- I wonder how people in some other states afford CC. Full price at our local (4-year) Cal State is just over $5k for a year ... and it looks like that's what CCs cost in some other states. Wow. I can understand the questions about quality - for us, at free or at most $46/credit, for DE, the quality doesn't have to be superlative; but if I was paying thousands a year, not attending CC as basically homeschool high-school enrichment but as someone wanting to transfer to a 4-yr (or get a rigorous 2-yr certification), I would definitely want high-quality classes ...

 

 

 

California Community Colleges Fee History:

 

Fiscal Year      Fee (per unit)

1984-85          -- $5*

1991-92          -- $6

1993-94          -- $10

1994-95          -- $13

1998-99          -- $12

1999-00          -- $11

2003-04          -- $18

2004-05          -- $26

2006-07          -- $20

2009-10          -- $26

2011-12          -- $36

Summer 2012  -- $46

 

*Prior to 1984, community colleges charged no fee

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Teachin'Mine]

I understand wanting to graduate the student for California CCs to get a better choice of courses and all, but how does that work if the student wants to attend a private four year and apply as a freshman?   I'm guessing that the majority stay in state with the great California universities and state colleges, but if someone thinks that their student may be interested in applying as a fresman OOS, then they may want to attend their CCC as a dual enrolled high school student, even with all the limitations. 

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I actually deleted a sentence in that post (b/c I tend to be too wordy!) saying that sometimes you have to "educate" the CC about homeschoolers. 

 

I haven't heard of limiting feeder schools at any CCs in Northern California, but I suppose, like the CSUs, they can set their own policies if they're overcrowded.

 

Are you doing an R-4/PSA? I seem to remember you had a complicated situation ... Anyway, I'm sure you know that technically there are no "homeschoolers" in CA -- you file as a private school (or join a charter school, or use a credentialed teacher, etc.). So technically, one approaches a CC as a private school principal. Some hs'ers are adamant/militant that we should never mention the word "homeschool," just private school, but I've had better luck using both ... As someone else in CA posted here recently, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar, so being patient but persistent often does the trick.

 

Someone on the HSC Yahoo group simply had to go buy some official-looking seals and slap one on her kid's transcript (diploma?) to make it look official. She could have asked to talk to a superior (and that's been done), but in that case there was an easy way to satisfy the person at the window. A friend of mine had to involve the dean of the school (her son had taken the CHSPE but she hadn't graduated him, so she did NOT want him enrolled as a regular student) but got approval within a few hours ...

 

I actually had to "educate" the UCSD admissions office about a similar issue (what make a transcript "official"?) last month. Perhaps things are different down in San Diego (they told me that out of something like 70,000 applications last year, they didn't have a SINGLE independent homeschooler enroll! Yowza!), but they seemed to think our homeschooling was authorized by the local school district, or by the county, etc. Perhaps they meant a charter school, or a public b&m school's homeschooling program? Anyway, after I showed them the section on the PSA at the CDE website, they realized i was right, haha, and that I was indeed authorized by the state of CA to print out my son's transcript at home and sign it all by my little self. (They did ask me to have the PSA notarized, which I didn't think was a deal-breaker.)

 

All that to say ... yes, each CC sets it own policy -- some take kids K-12 (!), others gr. 10-12 (ours), etc. -- and some are ridiculously overcrowded (even though there are 112 of them!), so I can see them limiting dual enrollment. Our local CC recently was able to move DE registration to just a week or two before classes start (boo!) -- it used to be 4-6 weeks before classes start. Just make sure you don't qualify, even if they think you don't -- e.g., the feeder schools situation might be problematic (but nothing a meeting with, say, a dean couldn't change, after they see how earnest you & your kids are), but in the non-charter-school situation -- they must have a provision for private-school kids, right? And that's what independent homeschoolers are (I'm not sure if you're in this category). They might need a little patient, persistent education about the laws. And yes, sometimes I get tired of "reinventing the wheel," but I figure it helps out hs'ers who come after me ... and my kids benefit, too!

 

Oh, about the fees -- as a DE student it will be free (but yes, last priority in registering). If a student has passed the CHSPE *or* has graduated from high school (and as the principal, you determine this), he can take classes as a regular student and pays the $46/credit. Plenty of folks I know go this route.

 

For the closest CC, I did find a mention of an agreement with the local high school district in which tuition is waived and the high school district pays for textbooks. I'm not sure if tuition would be waived for a private school student.

 

That is the next windmill, now that AP courses are in the past.

 

[mims]

University of Montana (and missoula college) charge $50/credit hour with no application fees or anything.  For a homeschooler to sign up on their own they have to sign up for college credit only.  If they want it specified as dual enrolment they have to go through a public school.  I can't figure out why it matters because I am doing my own transcript and could include it if I wanted.  The other benefit is you will be considered a student and don't have to reapply or anything later.

[Laura in CA]

I understand wanting to graduate the student for California CCs to get a better choice of courses and all, but how does that work if the student wants to attend a private four year and apply as a freshman? I'm guessing that the majority stay in state with the great California universities and state colleges, but if someone thinks that their student may be interested in applying as a fresman OOS, then they may want to attend their CCC as a dual enrolled high school student, even with all the limitations.

I think we were posting at the same time! Yes, my kids (& others we know) did DE to ensure freshman status -- even within CA. My sons wanted to start at the UCs or Cal Poly/Cal States as freshmen. However, it IS easier to be accepted to, say, UC Berkeley as a transfer than as a freshman (as in-state; for OOS the reverse is true).

[Arcadia]

One cc north of us isn't accepting any high schoolers except for those attending partner high schools.

 

It could be that the CC is already more than full house after accepting those from partner high schools. My school district has three high schools and the partner community college is not big and have to use portable classrooms because they ran out of space.  

[Penguin]

The funding changed with the rise of early college high schools at CCs and Unis.  Since my son is no longer participating in the program, I was not sure if they had reverted to their previous method of funding humanities and social sciences.

 

Another dynamic at play is that our local public high school now offers dual enrollment courses at the high school.  Transportation and scheduling prevented some of the students at the brick and mortar from participating in dual enrollment.  Bottom line is that the school system is trying to bring college credit opportunities to traditional students.  I am not sure how much consideration is given to home schoolers when policies are determined.

 

 

This agrees with what I am finding.

I investigated UNCG ischool, but was told that it is not open to homeschoolers. 

[Teachin'Mine]

I think we were posting at the same time! Yes, my kids (& others we know) did DE to ensure freshman status -- even within CA. My sons wanted to start at the UCs or Cal Poly/Cal States as freshmen. However, it IS easier to be accepted to, say, UC Berkeley as a transfer than as a freshman (as in-state; for OOS the reverse is true).

 

Yes, for some students/majors/goals/financial and/or merit aid the freshman status is important.  For other students and their major/goals/financial and/or merit aid, the transfer status is important.   It's great that both are options!

[Mom22ns]

MO does not. However, two years of community college is free for public school students who have sufficiently high grades and fulfill certain service requirements (A+ program)

 

Actually MO does.

 

Dual enrollment is offered at free or reduced cost to public school students (dependent on the arrangement between the college and local district). This is not available to homeschoolers, however, homeschoolers can enroll part time in public school, taking only dual enrollment classes, then do the rest of your classes as a homeschooler.

 

When I checked into this, our district was more than willing to enroll my kids in just the hours they would take for dual enrollment, making it completely free at the local CC. However, they did not have an agreement with the State U where ds wanted to take classes that were not offered by the CC. I do plan to take advantage of it for dual enrollment for dd.

[dirty ethel rackham]

No freebies here.  Our local CC had a program where if you took honors classes, tuition was free.  However, they recently changed that to only matriculated students, not high school students.  Our high schools do have some DE classes taught on their own campuses.

 

ETA:  The cost per credit hour at our local CC is $140.  Our town has a liberal arts college that allows talented high school students to take their classes at $175 per credit hour (about 1/4 of the cost.)  When my oldest needed college classes, the local LAC was the better deal because we would have needed another car to go to the community college, which was a 30 minute drive from my house.  My kids can ride their bikes to the LAC.  Plus, the quality of the classes (and caliber of the students) is much higher at the LAC. 

[Michelle_NC]

We just dropped off my daughter's application packet this afternoon - quite a process!

 

NC offers free classes for all high schoolers (public, private, homeschoolers) but the early colleges that are run by the public schools and are on the college campuses have very limited space.  Preference is given to "at risk" students. I forget the wording, but it seems pretty clear that they are looking for a particular kind of student for these programs, so its not really open to everyone through that avenue.

 

The good news is they seem open to take as many qualified homeschoolers as they can accommodate - as long as there are available classes.  My daughter was in a private school but really wanted to switch this year, so we hustled and got our homeschool paperwork submitted last week, placement tests complete this week and all the paperwork assembled and submitted today.  I feel like I've run a marathon through a jungle while hacking at things with a machete - the program is different at every community college so we had to shop around.  Not to mention all of the websites are in varying stages of outdated/irrelevant. 

One school we looked at was easy to get admitted to, but there was a specific list of classes required to finish the program with no variation. They didn't seem very homeschool-friendly overall.

 

The one we chose had higher admission standards, but more classes and sections to choose from.  Once she finishes the 33 hours required for the "Career and College Promise" program, my understanding is that she can take other classes for free.  Unless something has changed, they get 4 Fall/Spring semesters paid by the state as long as they are still high school students. 

 

A third school only had night classes (6 - 9pm) and web classes.

 

We should hear something in the next few days and I hope it turns out to be a good thing.  She's also taking Algebra 2 with a homeschool co-op.

[Michelle_NC]

Here's a handbook that has a lot of useful information for the NC program - each community college has different technical programs though.

http://www.vgcc.edu/HighSchoolStudents/CCP%20Pathway%20Guide%20Consolidated%20-%20REVISION%20-%202014-15.pdf

[MarkT]

CA appears to be one of the cheapest tuitions for CC in the country!

 

AZ is now  $70 per credit hour for CC which is still way cheaper than the public universities per credit hour.

[foxbridgeacademy]

Wow, lots of possibilities, THX.