I recently asked the parents on Homeschooling for College Credit’s Facebook page to share their experiences with dual enrollment, and any advice they might have for parents considering it for their teens.
Dual enrollment is enrolling in a college credit course, usually through a college, and counting it also as a high school course. Popular dual enrollment courses include English 101, College Algebra, United States History, and others.
- Jennifer’s comment: at most colleges, dual enrollment students are the bottom of the pecking order, and preference will go to the college’s regular students. My only advice is to try and register the first day you’re allowed, and even consider a second college to use as your “back up” provider.
- Jennifer’s comment: Good point about dual enrollment having more than one name. I’ve found dozens of different names, and usually, a state tends to call it the same thing. For instance, if you’re in Georgia, your state calls all dual enrollment “Move on When Ready” and if you’re in North Carolina, it’s called “Career and College Promise.” If you can’t find “dual enrollment” for your state, it might be called something else.
On campus is much more engaging than online.
Spread out heavy reading/writing courses.
Apply/register early.
Get as much face time with the professor (even with online courses, if possible).
Don’t get overwhelmed with the process /paperwork from registering. It boils down to a few documents, but the email and explanation can seem daunting!!
Don’t pass it up. It will save you THOUSANDS of dollars in the end. Like getting a scholarship without the essay. Lol!
- Jennifer’s comment: Thousands! That’s right. In a handful of states, dual enrollment opportunities are FREE tuition, in a couple you even get free books and fees. If this applies to you, the can mean your costs for 2 years of college = $0
- For students that have to pay dual enrollment tuition, you’re paying the community college rate, which is typically 1/4 to 1/3 the cost of a typical 4-year college rate. In addition, your teen is living at home, so the living expenses associated with 2 years in a dorm are eliminated.
- A far-reaching benefit, but for those edu-nerds like myself, an important one: you get a better return on investment (ROI) when you complete college credit in high school. Every credit your teen earns early puts them in the industry one year sooner. For students in high-paying professions like nursing, medicine, engineering, etc. that means an extra 1-2-3+ years of full salary ahead of their peers.
Karen Dutton Realize that your child will be in regular college classes with adults, and that topics, assignments, and discussions will not be altered because of your child’s age, so they should be both academically and emotionally ready. The average age of a student in classes at our community college is 25. The student needs to be able to handle interactions with the professor on their own as you probably won’t have access.
Leah Johnson Stanford Daughter currently in her first semester of dual enrollment. We settled on online due to local university doesn’t allow until senior year and local cc have no price break for homeschoolers. She is taking Eng 101, American Government, and Fine Arts this fall. So far positive, but the work load is intense. Best advice watch due dates and work ahead when possible. My daughter is getting assignments turned in early to allow more free time to have extra study time to prepare for tests.
Lori Andersson Dual enrollment was the best decision we ever made. My high schooler will be nearly finished with his AA by the time I issue his high school diploma, and every core class he takes, I also count toward high school credit.
Lisa Tatum Ga is very de friendly for homeschoolers. We get free tuition and free books. Most colleges also waive the additional fees. My son has taken 7 de classes so far.
Parents and teens have to decide which subjects make sense, and choose carefully. You can’t duplicate credit, so taking US History as a dual enrolled student means you can’t also get AP credit for US History – you have to choose.
