2024-2025
Colleges listed here allow homeschooled high school students from any state to participate in classes for college credit.
We recognize that the definition of “prestige” depends greatly on who you ask. With nearly 4,000 colleges and universities in the United States, you’re going to get a lot of diverse opinions. We used 2024 US News and World Reports for national and regional ranking. Of all universities, about 430 of them are considered “national” universities. A national university is one that draws its enrollment from the entire country instead of just a small region. A regional university is one whose enrollment is primarily from a specific region.
Unlike most dual enrollment courses that are open enrollment, these programs are selective. Not all students who apply will be selected.
Programs on this list may offer courses online or on campus, year-round, or during a special summer term. A “commuter” program during the summer is one that holds classes on campus but does not provide housing. Many programs provide room and board for summer sessions. We worked very hard to find prestigious universities that offered online classes.
We recognize that some prestigious programs may have been accidentally omitted. If this is the case, please let me know so we can add them in!
The list below is alphabetical.
| American University (Washington D.C.) Ranked #105 in the United States Private 4-year university Program Name: AU High School Summer Scholars Availability: Summer only /Online Cost: $965 per course, each course is 1 college credit. No textbook fees. About: All courses are asynchronous. Students may enroll in up to 3 courses. Instructor access is via email or during office hours. AU uses Canva and recorded lectures. Program is open to students who are rising 10th, 11th, or 12th grade with a 3.0 GPA or higher. Sample of online courses: Biotechnology, Data Science, Forensic Science, Fundamentals of Law, Global Public Health, Oceanography, Political Action and Public Policy, Sustainable Development, International Diplomacy and Negotiation. More information |
| Boston University (Massachusetts) Ranked #43 in the United States Private 4-year university Program Name: High School Honors Online Availability: Summer only/ Online, residential, commuter Cost: $50 nonrefundable application fee. $3,180 per course (2 course maximum). On campus requires taking 2 courses. Add room and board for $3,426 About: Open to rising 11th and 12th graders. Application must be completed by the prospective student, not the parent or other third party. Students must submit a personal statement, two recommendations, high school transcript, and standardized test scores. Classes meet live online. Pro Tip: Unlike most colleges on this list, these courses can actually be used towards a degree at Boston University. Dual enrollment courses are offered at approximately 50% full cost, allowing a student to enter with several thousand dollars already saved and several credits already complete. Sample of online courses: Media Aesthetics, Computer Science, Combinatoric Structures, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Chinese, Spanish, Statistics, Psychology, Philosophy, Religions of Asia, Super Heroes in Film, Hospitality. Samples of on campus courses: Computer Science, Chemistry, Chinese, French, Italian, Statistics, Theatre, Physics, Writing, Earn and Environment, Art History. More Information |
| Brown University (Rhode Island) Ranked #9 in the United States Private 4-year university Program Name: Pre-Baccalaureate Availability: Summer only / Online, residential, commuter Cost: On-campus residential, on-campus commuter, and online courses are all different prices. The prices in this box are for online. If you want to attend on campus, visit their website for prices. (prices are higher for on campus) $4,882 for one course, $9,618 for two courses; additional fees include $136 enrollment fee, $10 academic records fee, textbooks and course materials; rising or recently graduated high school seniors (minimum age 17), summer asynchronous online 7-week session (may have some synchronous meetings). About: The Brown University Pre-Baccalaureate Program is a highly selective program for rising or recently graduated high school seniors ready to undertake the rigors of credit-bearing, undergraduate study. Pre-Baccalaureate students — known as Pre-Baccs — enroll in classes alongside Brown and visiting undergraduates in the university’s Summer Session. Allocate 25 hours per week per course. Application deadline May 9, 2025 Sample of courses: History of Emotions, Sustainable Investing, Critical Reasoning, American Presidents and the Western Tradition, Greek Mythology, Linguistics, Emerging Infectious Disease, The Holocaust, Introduction to Catalan. More Information |
| Catholic University of America (Washington D.C.) Ranked #178 in the United States. Private 4-year university Program Name: Dual Enrollment Availability: Year-round / Online Cost: $225 per credit ($675 for a 3-credit course). There is no application fee. About: Students must submit an application and be on track to complete their junior year of high school prior to enrollment. Students may choose up to 2 courses, but course selection is not guaranteed and students should provide first, second, and third choice selections. Some courses are asynchronous (prerecorded/log in anytime) and others are synchronous which have specific meeting days and time for live teaching. Sample of courses: Speech, Music Literature, Social Work, Computer Aided Engineering, History of Media, Archeology, Economics, Sociology, Harmony I. More Information |
| Duke University (North Carolina) Ranked #7 in the United States, #1 in Nursing, #2 in Biomedical Engineering Private 4-year university Program Name: High School Student Program Availability: Summer only/ Online or commuter Cost: $50 application fee. One time $120 fee for lifetime transcripts, $2,840 per non-lab course. About: Students must be a current 10th or 11th grade student and be 16 years old by July 1 of summer session to apply. Students must submit high school transcript, resume, and personal statement. 12th grade students are not eligible. Sample of online courses: African Studies, Human Physiology, Creative Writing, Philosophy, Medical Neuroscience, Exercise Physiology, Exercise and Mental Health. Sample of on campus courses: Art History, Anthropology, Calculus I & II, Ethical Theory, Virtue Theory, Chinese Philosophy, Sociological Inquiry. More Information |
| Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Florida) Ranked #6 in Regional Universities South Private 4-year university Program Name: Dual Enrollment Availability: year round Cost $250 per credit, not “open enrollment” student must apply for acceptance, grades 9+, textbooks extra, 2.75 unweighted GPA, standardized test scores suggested, students work with academic advisors, courses offered on 9-week terms, courses in aeronautics, engineering, general education, and business. HS4CC X Embry Riddle Webinar replay More information |
| Emory University (Georgia) Ranked #24 in the United States Private 4-year university Program Name: Pre-College Program Availability: Summer only / online or commuter Cost: $75 technology fee per course, $5,797 per 3 credit course, $7,670 per 4 credit course. About: For rising juniors and seniors. Courses are 6 weeks. On campus students live in dorms or may commute daily. Their BEST catalog is their online catalog. At the time of pulling course lists, they offered 40 classes online and only 5 on campus. Non-parent recommendation is required. Transcripts are required, test scores are NOT optional for the credit program (they are optional for non-credit classes). Sample of online courses: Advanced Calculus for Data Science, American Crime Fiction, Calculus I or II, Chinese, Drugs and Behavior, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Hip Hop Dance and Identity, Psychology, Latin, History of Religions. Sample of on campus courses: Comparative Politics, German, Physics 1 and 2, Introduction to Sculpture. More information |
| Fordham University (New York) Ranked #89 in the United States Private 4-year university Program Name: Pre-College Summer Leaders Academy Availability: Summer only/ Online, residential, commuter Cost: $75 application fee. Online courses cost $3,120 for a 3 credit course, $4,200 for a 4 credit courses. Students who attend on campus may commute as day students or secure housing for $1,275 (double occupancy). About: Fordham offers one summer session lasting 5-weeks. All applicants must have a 3.0 GPA, provide a writing sample, and provide a current high school transcript. The program is open to students who have finished 11th grade and are rising 12th graders. Rising 10th or 11th graders who have exceptional record of academic performance can ask for a special exception and must provide a letter of recommendation. Sample of online courses: Biological Anthropology, Data Management, Ancient Rome, Christian Latin, Finite Mathematics, Digital Photography, Visual Thinking. Sample of on campus courses: Forensic Science, Sports Marketing, Philosophy, Child Development, Early Christian Writings, Composition, Critical Reason, Human Function and Dysfunction, Business Communication, Christian Hymns. More information |
| Harvard University (Massachusetts) Harvard University is ranked #3 in the United States, #1 Economics, #3 Psychology Private 4-year university (1) Program Name: Secondary School Program Availability: Summer only/Online, residential, commuter Cost: 4-week residential $7,700 (4 college credits) Cost: 7-week residential $14,250 (8 college credits) Cost: 7-week online/commuter $3,900 (4 credits) or $7,600 (8 credits) About: The 4-week program is residential only. The 7-week program is online, residential, or commuter. There are over 300 courses available to choose from. To be eligible, students must be between ages 16-19. Sample of 4-week residential courses: Economics, Entrepreneurship, Personal Finance, Neurodiversity, Psychopathology, Controversial Issues in Science, Global Justice, Anthropology of Food, Character Design for Animation and Games. Sample of 7-week online courses: Arts, Writing, Humanities, Linguistics, Music, Film, Applied Math, Digital Media, Statistics, Engineering Sciences, Arabic, Celtic, Chinese, Greek, Italian, Latin, Russian, Ukrainian, Biology, Physics, History, Legal Studies. More information (2) Program Name: Harvard University Extension Availability: Year round/ Online, residential, commuter Cost: $2,040 per course (books not included) About: Harvard Extension offers courses, certificates, and degrees. They do not allow high school students to earn a degree, however they are allowed to take individual courses. Courses are OPEN ENROLLMENT, meaning anyone of any age may register. They offer over 800 courses, lower level and upper level, all will appear on a Harvard University transcript and are taught by Harvard University faculty. Students who take courses through Harvard University Extension will receive a .edu Harvard email address. HES allows high school students to take graduate courses and earn graduate certificates, but not undergraduate degrees. VERY IMPORTANT: Harvard University Extension undergraduate degrees are restricted to students who have been out of high school for 5 years, but graduate degrees do not have that requirement. A good strategy is to pursue an undergraduate degree elsewhere by Homeschooling for College Credit to activate your eligibility for their graduate program. More information |
| Northwestern University (Illinois) Northwestern is ranked #9 in the United States Private 4-year university Program Name: College Preparation Program Availability: Summer only / Online, residential, commuter Cost: Courses cost the same whether taken online or on campus. Each course is $5407 for 4-quarter hours. Students attending on campus will be responsible for the room and board fee of $650 per week. Books are an extra cost. Scholarships are available. Pro Tip: Northwestern uses quarter hours instead of the more common semester hours. When colleges convert quarter hours into semester hours, some colleges award 2.66 credits (not 3.0) which may present a deficiency for meeting a core requirement. We recommend not using a 4-quarter hour course for important freshman core prerequisites like English Composition 1 or 2. About: Open to rising juniors and seniors who are at least age 15 on the first day of class. Students must have a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale. High school transcript is required. Students can take as many classes as they like but they can’t mix modality (choose all online or all in-person). Upper level 300 courses are open to students in this program. Sample of online courses: Financial Accounting, Arabic, Women in Chinese Cinema, Intermediate Composition: Immigrant Stories, French, Bioethics, Minds and Machines, Logic, Philosophy, Korean, Italian, German, Statistics and Data Science. Sample of on campus courses: Playwriting, Spanish, Physics, Philosophy, Hidden Women of Music, Black Popular Music and Media, Japanese, History of Refugees, Europe in the Modern World, Computer Programming, Race and Technology. More information |
| Stanford University (California) Stanford is ranked #3 in the USA, #2 for both Engineering and Computer Science Private 4-year university Program Name: Pre-Collegiate Studies Availability: Year-round / Online Cost: $1,500 per 3-credit course About: The program is designed for students who want to study advanced math or physics. All courses have mandatory prerequisites. The physics courses require successful completed an honors or AP level high school physics and Calculus 1. For math courses, successful completion of Calculus 1 and 2 are required. Courses are transcripted as “Continuing Studies” but the curriculum does match the university curriculum and college credit is awarded, but because of this distinction, transferability is uncertain. Sample of Physics courses: Light and Heat, Modern Physics, Intermediate Mechanics I and II. Sample of Math courses: MV Differential Calculus, Integral Calculus, Linear Algebra, Modern Algebra, Number Theory, Real Analysis, Complex Analysis, Differential Equations More information |
| Syracuse University (New York) Syracuse is ranked #67 in the United States. Private 4-year university Program Name: Summer College. There are 6 program options, each with different requirements, different experiences, different credit, and different costs. Only the research program is exclusively non-credit, each other program offers credit or noncredit options. Availability: Year-round /Online, residential, commuter, hybrid (1) Cost Summer College on Campus: $3,773 commuter, $4,695 residential (2) Cost Summer College Online: $3,075 3 credits, $3,785 4 credits About this option: 3 or 6 week schedules. Open to rising 10th grade-12th. High school graduates are eligible as long as they are not matriculating into Syracuse University the following fall. Classes are live and require attendance. Students can choose up to 2 courses. Samples of courses: Architecture, Environment and Society, International Relations, Nutrition, Sociology, Mobile Application Development, Race and Ethnicity. (3) Cost Summer College Hybrid: $3,589 commuter, $4,535 residential About this option: Spend 1 week on campus do 3 weeks online. Students must be age 15 or older on day 1 on campus. One course available: Design Worlds (4) Cost Summer College On Location: $995-$2,175 (5) Cost Summer College Research Immersion: *NON CREDIT* $9,765 (6) Cost Summer College Accelerated Online: $695/credit + $35 application fee About this option: 15 week courses taught in am 8 week section and offered year round. Students participate in live 90 minute sessions weekly. Open to students in 11th or 12th grade with 3.0 GPA. Sample of courses: Chemistry, Creative Leadership, Legal Systems, Public Advocacy, Theory of Knowledge, Religion and Sports, Business of Healthcare, Nutrition. More information |
| University of California Berkeley (California) UC Berkeley is ranked #15 (tie) in the United States and #1 Public University in the world, #1 Civil Engineering, #1 Environmental Engineering, #2 Computer Science, #2 Business, #1 Psychology, and #1 in Economics. Public 4-year university Program Name: Pre-College Scholars Summer Virtual Track Availability: Summer only / Online Cost: Application $25, Registration fee $550, Document management fee $68, “Per Unit” tuition $595 most courses are 3 “units.” About: Students must be at least 16 years old on the first day of class and have completed 10th grade. Students must have a 3.0 GPA. Students who graduate high school at age 17 or younger may apply. There are multiple summer session dates ranging from 3-10 weeks in length. Courses may be either asynchronous or synchronous format. Sample of courses: Civil Rights Movement, Criminal Justice, Biology, Oceans, Earthquakes, Plagues and Pandemics, Astronomy, Planets, Business English, Legal English, Slavic Languages and Literature, Environmental Science Policy and Mgt. More information |
| University of California Los Angeles UCLA (California) UCLA is ranked #15 (tie) in the United States Public 4-year university (1) Program Name: Precollege Summer Institute Availability: Summer only / Commuter Cost: $3000-$6000 depending on program and includes housing. Commuter options are available for some programs. Scholarships available. About: Precollege Summer Institute is an in-person program. Depending on the course you choose, it lasts anywhere from 1-3 weeks and award 2-4 quarter credits. Sample of courses: Art, Nanoscience, Scriptwriting, Costume Design, Cinematography, Engineering Design, Economics, Media Arts, Game Lab. More Information (2) Program Name: Summer Online Availability: Summer only / Online Cost: High school students are classified as visiting students and should expect to pay approximately $1,500 – $2,500 per course. About: Summer Online is a more traditional dual enrollment online experience with courses available to both high school teens or adults. Session length varies between 3-9 weeks. Sample of courses: Myth and Ritual, Aliens Psychics and Ghosts, Colonialism, Environmental Justice, Urban Planning, Environmentalism, Global Environment and Development, Studio Art Instruction private or semi-private. |
| University of Chicago (Illinois) University of Chicago is ranked #12 in the United States Private 4-year university Program Name: Pre-College Summer Session Online Availability: Summer only / Online Cost: About: Open to high school students in any grade that are at least 14 years old. Students attend class on Zoom daily for 2 hours Monday-Friday for 4 weeks. Sample of courses: Brief History of Doom, African Civilization, American Short Fiction, Arabic, Digital Humanities Using Python, Building the Brain, Chemistry, Black Holes, Contemporary Art, Critical Videogame Studies, Computing for Social Science. More information |
| University of Pennsylvania: (Pennsylvania) UPenn is ranked #6 in the United States and the Wharton School is ranked #3 Business School in the United States Public 4-year university (1) Program Name: Pre-baccalaureate Program (Wharton) Availability: Year-round / Online Cost: $100 nonrefundable application fee. $4,230 per course plus $75/course online service fee, $76/course materials fee. About: Admission to Wharton’s Pre-baccalaureate Program is highly selective. Courses meet once or twice weekly for live lectures, discussions, and exercises, though the specific meetings times and days vary from course to course. Selections are based on a record of academic excellence, willingness to take on a challenge, and demonstrated intellectual curiosity. Additionally, students must be currently enrolled in grades 11-12 during the school year; or be rising 11-12 grade students during the summer term. Not graduate high school in advance of the intended entry term. (Graduated seniors are not eligible.) Not be matriculating into the University of Pennsylvania as a freshman. Demonstrate strong written communication skills. Wharton has created separate sections of these courses made up entirely of driven and ambitious high school students. (not merged with adult learners) Sample of courses: Introduction to Behavioral Economics, Consumer Behavior, Financial Markets and the Global Economy, Health Economics, Business Decisions using Optimization and Simulation. More Information (2) Program Name: Pre-college (College of Arts & Science) Availability: Summer / Online, residential, commuter Cost: $75 application fee. Program fee and general fee are paid once whether you take one or two courses. Total cost for one course is $8,044 and for two is $13,056. Students who attend on campus should add an additional $8,000 to their total. About: Only the pre-college programs are worth college credit, not the Penn Summer Prep or Summer Academy. Courses are 1 UPenn unit, which translates into 4 semester hours. Applicants must have a 3.3 GPA and submit an essay. Standardized test scores are strongly encouraged. Students apply to the program, not to a specific course. You are required to choose alternate courses when registering as courses may hit capacity or be canceled. Sample of courses: Oceanography, Law and Society, Ancient Rome, Sociolinguistics, International Relations, Emergence of Modern Science, World Literature. Sample of on-campus courses: Biology, World Film History, Calculus, Linguistics, Experimental Psychology, Hellenistic and Roman Art, Microeconomics. More Information |
| William & Mary (Virginia) William & Mary is ranked #53 in the United States and #3 in undergraduate teaching. Public 4-year university Program Name: Pre-College Program in American History Availability: Summer only / On campus Cost: $5,600 includes tuition, room, and board. About: Students must have completed 10th grade to apply. The program is also open to rising college freshman. Students choose one of the four courses offered through the program. First choice is not guaranteed. Students will receive a letter grade and 4 college credits. Applicants will submit an essay and letter of recommendation. Courses: Artifacts of American History, American Independence, Road to the American Revolution, Road to the Civil War. More Information |