Highly selective colleges almost never award college credit from courses and exams you’ve earned in high school, but there are exceptions.
What is a “selective” college? For the purposes of Homeschooling for College Credit, a selective college is one that accepts fewer of 50% of the qualified applications it receives. That may not sound too selective, but in truth, over half the colleges in this country are open enrollment- which is to say they accept 100% of the qualified applications they receive! Some of the very tippy top colleges accept as few as 5% of qualified applicants.
Why is it harder to HS4CC at selective colleges? In almost every instance, a selective college has too many applications for available slots, so they have a supply and demand advantage. Simply they don’t have to give transfer credit, they don’t have to give CLEP or AP credit, they don’t have to accept dual enrollment, and they certainly don’t have to accept ACE or NCCRS credit. Their students are fine with the idea of doing the entire degree in house once they arrive. As such, finding strategies to shave time or money at selective colleges is especially challenging.
Are there ways to HS4CC at selective colleges? In short, yes, but what overshadows college credit are admissions.
Getting into college is easy, it’s getting out that’s hard. I’ve said this, written this, and preached this for years. It’s still true today, and if you’re trying to earn college credit in high school and pay cash for a degree, there are thousands of colleges that will welcome you with open arms. But, the recipe changes when you’re targeting a selective college. Getting into a selective college is hard, so the focus must include admissions strategies too. For what it’s worth, the more selective the college, the better their graduation rates (as high as 80% in some cases).
If you’re targeting a selective college, we have TWO new resources you can use.
HS4CC Selective Colleges Guide ($7) that explores the best practices that will give your student the best possible chance of Homeschooling for College Credit and using that credit at a selective college. See the guide
HS4CC Selective Colleges Facebook Group (free) this new community will serve as a support group for parents who are Homeschooling for College Credit and hoping to take that credit into a selective college. HS4CC Facebook groups are led by volunteers with teens who are on or have walked that path. Join now.
