CLEP's, dual credits, etc.

[hsmommyx3]

For some of you who may have read my previous post, my dh has been struggling with depression & job loss. We sat down yesterday & had a long talk about what was important to each of us. I brought up homeschooling & he said that while he's out of work, he doesn't want me pulling them out. He would prefer me to start at the beginning of next school year, provided he is employed. He said that with the emotional and physical problems he's having, it feels overwhelming to have the children home now. That I can respect.

Anyway, he told me that he would be on board but he wants more info on some things & I knew some of you here could help me. He heard that homeschoolers can graduate high school with close to an associate’s degree. Is this true? Is this with CLEP's and dual credits? Is there something else that I should know about?

Also, has anyone had a son or daughter receive scholarships to college & was it difficult to obtain? We are in Texas, a friendly hs state, so I would think the colleges would be hs friendly as well.

Thank you so much for your prayers. I pray that he doesn't vacillate on this issue anymore and that he gets healthy, both physically & emotionally, so that he can find a good job!

[hsmommyx3]

Bump....anyone??? :confused:

[Sandy in Indy]

I have graduated my oldest and my second will graduate this spring. Both were accepted into good schools and both received good academic scholarships. These were based on SAT scores. Neither was difficult to obtain--they were automatically considered because of their SAT scores.

 

DS has taken some college courses this year and will start university next fall with 12 credits. (He could have started earlier and done more, but we have to pay for community college here. I knew that the career he wanted would require 6 years of school no matter what, so we didn't spend any more than I felt we *needed* to.)

 

Yes, there are some kids who actually complete enough credits to graduate from high school and complete a 2-yr degree at the same time.

[Chris in VA]

An associate's degree can be well within a homeschooler's reach, but it's not always the goal. Your child can dual enroll, and often folks opt to do so in order to cover advanced classes that they feel they can't teach at home. Go to the high school board--there are lots of threads about the pro's and con's of dual enrollment.

Many, many colleges are now more homeschool friendly, but you have to read their requirements closely. For example, Ds19 was all set with his application to Virginia Commonwealth U when we discovered they would not take a homeschool diploma--it had to be from an accredited high school (even online), or he had to take the GED. He opted for the GED, as he has already finished his credits at home for high school. (He took the practice and did very well--he'll probably pass the real deal with flying colors next week!.)

 

I think you can use this time to do more research on homeschooling, and the various options for college/upper schooling. It's nice to see you honoring your hubby.

[Confuzzled]

My son graduated from high school with 30 college credits from the community college. I think it would be very difficult to take enough classes to actually earn an associate's degree, which requires 60 hours. Maybe someone on the forum has a child who has done it though.

 

You'll need to research carefully and decide how you want to proceed. There are scholarships available for homeschool students, just as there are for other students. Most colleges that I know of don't have money set aside specifically for homeschoolers though. What you'll need to research is the monetary difference between incoming freshmen scholarships and transfer student scholarships. If you count the dual credit hours as college credit when applying for a four-year college, he won't be admited as a freshman and won't be eligible for freshman-only scholarships. On the other hand, many colleges, especially public universities have generous transfer scholarship available, especially if they have good grades.

 

We did not pursue any CLEP credits but I do know of others who have used that method for college credit. Again, be careful about how much college credit he earns if you are interested in freshmen scholarships.

 

You might get a better response if you post on the high school board.

[hsmommyx3]

Thank you all so much! I pray we are on the right track! I'll check out the high school board!

[Ellie]

Yes, it is possible, but it varies by state. In California, my dds were earning college credit at 14; in fact, we did community college instead of high school, as it were.

 

Texas is different, but I have not paid that close attention to the rules. You should call your local community college and ask.

 

There are also some private colleges that will allow homeschoolers to take classes for college credit while still high school age.

[Sandy in Indy]

If you count the dual credit hours as college credit when applying for a four-year college, he won't be admited as a freshman and won't be eligible for freshman-only scholarships.

 

I think this depends on the school. The schools my son applied to said that as long as the college courses were taken BEFORE high school graduation, he would still be considered a freshman for admittance and scholarship purposes.

[kim973]

In MN, we have PSEO

 

"Minnesota Department of Education Post Secondary Enrollment Options Program

Post-Secondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) allows high school juniors and seniors to take courses, full-or part-time, at a post-secondary institution for high school credit. The program provides students with a greater variety of class offerings and the opportunity to pursue more challenging coursework than may be available at the high school. The tuition, fees and required textbooks are at no cost to students."

[ThelmaLou]

I think this depends on the school. The schools my son applied to said that as long as the college courses were taken BEFORE high school graduation, he would still be considered a freshman for admittance and scholarship purposes.

 

Yes, this is my understanding, too. I have heard that you're still eligible for 4-year scholarships as long as the community college courses taken were for dual credit. But any classes taken exclusively for college credit disqualify you as being labeled an "incoming freshman."

[Pamela H in Texas]

I'm in Texas. My daughter will graduate this spring, at 16 yrs old, with 24 college credits (and planning to get another 7 this summer).

 

Schools vary. The rule is that juniors and seniors can take 2 courses tuition free. However, individual schools can also require them to be 16 (a problem we dealt with). They also may have general fees not covered as "tuition" (another thing we're dealing with). Textbooks are a bundle! Some colleges also allow Juniors and Seniors to take a 3rd or 4th course. They are not allowed to count the 3rd or 4th course towards high school credit. This is RARELY done at my daughter's college though. It was approved easily enough (grades just have to prove capability) but then during registration, they didn't know what to do with her.

 

Another option that we considered was that Richland college (in Richardson, Texas) has a complete program where the student lives at home (other colleges are live-in and that wasn't for us) and attend all college courses to fulfill their last 2 years of high school while getting an Associates Degree. It is considered public school, but is done mainstream in the college. They even give them laptops. There is no tuition, book fee, etc for these students. We may consider this option for ds when the time comes, but it really depends.

 

One thing to consider is that schooling options just keep changing and evolving. I know of a school that allows kids go just 1-5pm. I know of another that is at another college but is for at-risk students. There are several schools in the DFW area where kids go 2-3 days per week and are home for the other 2-3 days per week. Co-ops abound. Virtual schools are another big thing these days.

 

I would EXPECT that changes will continue to occur so if your kids are elementary aged, no telling what options may be when they get to high school level.

[Halftime Hope]

He heard that homeschoolers can graduate high school with close to an associate’s degree. Is this true? Is this with CLEP's and dual credits? Is there something else that I should know about?

 

This varies a great deal here in Texas, according to the rules in each CC or state university. In Dallas county (DCCCD CCs), you are allowed to take two courses per semester free, except you pay for books. Each CC has a slightly different policy on *what* you can take, some only allow the "core courses", others allow more choices. In general, you are supposed to be 16, although some will allow a student to enroll earlier if they have stellar SAT scores, for example. If a student took two summer school courses and "proved" themselves, an individual dual credit counselor might allow them to take a full courseload the following semester...just depends.

 

Many of the UT system and A&M system campuses allow dual enrollment, but, again, each one varies. At UT Arlington, there is an Honors Academy which feeds into the Honor College, which comes with some perks above and beyond the regular early enrollment program.

 

Also, has anyone had a son or daughter receive scholarships to college & was it difficult to obtain? We are in Texas, a friendly hs state, so I would think the colleges would be hs friendly as well.

 

Ds is attending the local state university because it has a very good department for his field, and it is in our range of doable. I wish it were a four-year Christian residential campus, but it is not...

 

Scholarship requirements for the state universities are listed on their websites. Ds qualified for three scholarships which were simply given to him based on his scores and GPA--no competition at all. We were very grateful!! Between the Honors Academy scholarship, the "open-to-all freshmen score-based scholarships", and a surprise one from his department, based largely on his GPA and dual enrollment GPA, he is paying much less than we expected. There are strings: he must take 27 credit hours in a calendar year, which pretty much prevents him from taking cheaper CC courses during the school year, considering the class load that is normal for his major. He must also maintain a certain GPA, and it gets higher in his junior and senior years, so he has to start with a higher GPA to have the scholarships be renewable.

 

hth