Homeschooling the teenage years is a big undertaking. They have opinions and idea of their own, and careers they are interested in. It is almost time for them to fly the nest!
If you are at the end of your homeschooling journey with your child then you may be considering what to do about college, or what is next. Dual enrolment can be a great stepping stone in the transition from homeschool to college and careers.
What is Dual Enrolment?
Dual enrolment is also sometimes called concurrent enrolment. It is where a student who is of high school age is enrolled in both high school and college level classes. Homeschool students may also do this when they reach the level where they are able to handle college level courses.
They may select several classes to undertake per semester. These courses will count towards college credit in the future. Many homeschoolers use this opportunity to get all the general education classes out of the way before they head off to the college of choice.
What is the GPA for Dual Enrolment?
This requirement can depend entirely on your state and or the college to which you are applying. For many states there is a requirement that the student in 10th grade or above before enrolling. There is also an average GPA of 3.0 for many of the colleges. Some colleges and states have no requirements at all.
However if you are able to prove competency many of these outlined requirements can be waived. I am sure they put them there to ensure that the students can be successful and not just enrolling because it sounds like a good idea.
Some ways you can prove competency is by providing a portfolio of work samples or test scores.
Can You Take Dual Enrolment Classes Online?
Yes, absolutely. There are many colleges now that offer their courses online. This is particularly beneficial for younger students who want to do college level courses but don’t feel comfortable in a classroom on on campus with students much older than them. Students who live far from a college campus would also benefit from online classes. This is also fantastic because you can select a college that you love, and classes that you love and not be restricted by distance.
Families who are roadschooling or love to travel will also really find a lot of benefits that come with online college classes for their teenagers. It also takes some of the pressure off of you. If you are road schooling or think it is something you would like to do in the future go and read this post which contains everything you need to know and some great tips to make the homeschool part of the transition easier.
Does Dual Enrolment Cost Money?
This depends on which college you choose to go through. However many courses are free, or heavily discounted.
A lot of students will choose to enrol and a local community college in order to gain the credits they want. Community colleges are often much cheaper than larger state or private colleges. This can offset the overall cost of college.
There is also the benefit of being able to do the courses closer to home without the need of student housing and meals for example.
The best way to find out how much you could expect to pay is to select the colleges you want to work with and see how much each class costs and weigh up the pro’s and con’s of each school and class. For the basic general education classes you need not worry about going through a top level college.
Does Dual Enrolment Help You Get Into College?
Yes dual enrolment can help you get into college as a homeschooler. One of the reasons is that you are able to demonstrate that you can successfully handle college level work. There are many ways for homeschoolers to get into college and this is one way.
Dual enrolment can help you to accumulate college credits before enrolling full time at your college of choice.
There may be instances however where you are not able to transfer all the credits earned through dual enrolment to a different college. This is something to be aware of when selecting where to dual enrol. Ideally if you could enrol at the college you would like to complete your undergraduate degree that would be fantastic as there would be no need to go through the ordeal of transferring. However this is not a huge deal if it needs to be done.
AP vs Dual Enrolment
There is always much discussion around which is better. Dual enrolment versus advanced placement. This will entirely depend on which colleges you are going wanting to apply to and what they prefer.
Some colleges favor AP classes and some put more weight on dual enrolment. Colleges these days are very open about what they prefer.
They both offer great benefits for your student and will put them in good stead when applying to college.
Dual enrolment however does not have exams like AP classes. If your child struggles to preform at the best in an exam situation perhaps dual enrolment is the choice for them.
One of the benefits of AP classes is that they are very much standardized. This means that every student who takes the test is put under the same conditions. This can not be said for dual enrolment which has many variations in how your final grade is awarded.
Benefits of Dual Enrolment
There are so many benefits that can come from dual enrolment.
The ability to take college classes at an earlier age is one of the primary benefits. You are not restricted to waiting until you are of college age before taking on more intense learning. Many homeschool students are ready for college classes much earlier than their public schooled counterparts.
Taking online dual enrolment classes opens up the possibilities of being able to attend colleges great distances from your home without even leaving your bedroom. This is a great relief for mom’s terrified of sending their teenagers off to college early. They are now able to get a head start on college without having to leave home to do it.
Local colleges or community colleges also allow you to be able to attend college early without having to leave home.
You do not have to take a full college load all at once. There is a lot of freedom in how heavy the workload is. Perhaps you want to try it out first by just taking one class in the first semester then adding to it in the second semester etc.
Dual enrolment credit can often be transferred to different colleges allowing you to graduate early or have a lighter load in future years. If you get all the general education classes out of the way while you are still completing high school homeschool, by the time you head off to college you are already a year a head. You can now spread the load out to give you more time to focus, have a social life, work, and not be so overwhelmed.
Can I Graduate Homeschool Early?
There is no specific age or grade you need to be in order to graduate homeschool. When you are ready and capable to move on to college or into your chosen career field then you can start.
Many homeschoolers start college early because they have finished all the prescribed work for high school in less time it takes in a traditional school. Homeschoolers have various opportunities to explore different career options and maybe already pursuing them at a young age. There is no need to wait around until you are 18 to graduate.
