Wondering if it matters *when* your teen graduates from high school? It matters a lot! Especially if they are earning college credit in high school and want to go to college.
High School Graduation Dates Matter
When students earn college credit or an associate degree in high school, they will still qualify for college as a freshman applicant. Many parents seek this status because it allows their teen to live in freshman dorms, apply for freshman scholarships, and play sports for the maximum years eligible.
On the other hand, some parents want their students to apply as a transfer student, which may lift campus housing requirements, remove SAT/ACT/CLEP testing, allow a car on campus, and access priority registration.
Depending on your goal, you’ll want to pay close attention to your teen’s graduation date as they earn college credit, because high school graduation dates matter.
College Credit Earned in High School Preserves Freshman Status
If all of your teen’s college credit is earned during high school, they will apply to college as a freshman. This is true no matter how much credit they earn or if they earn an associate degree. This policy is based on the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). All colleges and universities are required to submit data per the IPEDS reporting requirements, and have very tight definitions of what is, and what is not, classified as a first-time freshman.
“Students who enter the institution with advanced standing (college credits earned before graduation from high school) are considered First-time Students.”
In other words, this policy does not “depend on the college” because all colleges and universities report to IPEDS. If you are told something different, you haven’t found an exception to the policy; you’ve found an uninformed college employee.
For parents who are proactively trying to protect their student’s freshman status, you’ll have your student stop pursuing college credit after their graduation date. Technically, any class that started before high school graduation is still eligible to be classified as a high school class.
What about summer classes? This is a gray area because if the class starts after the student graduates from high school, future colleges can argue that the student was an enrolled college student (as opposed to a dual-enrolled high school student) and thus could bump your teen to transfer status. The wording in IPEDS “…includes students enrolled in the fall term who attended college for the first time in the prior summer term.” However, as a resourceful and informed parent, I’m strongly urging you not to take up this battle with their future college. It’s simply not worth the risk, the fight, and the potential loss of a freshman scholarship. Unlike the clear-cut practice of college credit earned during high school, the language used for summer term is less precise and not worth the risk, in my opinion.
HS4CC best practices:
Do not start your teen in any college classes between their high school graduation date and the start of their freshman term at the college where they plan to earn their degree.
Example:
- The student’s associate degree will be awarded on June 9th.
- The parent could award the high school homeschool diploma on June 10th.
Example:
- The student’s dual enrollment summer session begins on May 15th.
- The parent can award the high school homeschool diploma on May 16th.
Unless your state says otherwise, parents are usually the authority who determines that high school graduation requirements have been met and the date that this happens.
Seeking Transfer Status
For students who want to apply to college as a transfer student, the easiest trigger is to earn college credit after high school graduation. A simple strategy used by many students is to earn a transferable associate degree at the local community college and transfer into the university as a junior.
- Spend the year after high school earning college credit that will count towards the degree. If the college allows you to enroll as a non-degree-seeking student, this is the best option because you’ll be able to take the exact courses without fear of nontransferability.
- Check for an age restriction. Some colleges default to “everyone under age X” as being classified as a freshman. If the university you are considering has this rule, your teen may not qualify, even with college credit earned after high school.
- Find the college’s “transfer number” and exceed it. Most colleges identify a number of credits when the reclassification occurs (usually about 24 credits).
- If your teen already has their associate’s degree and is still being forced to apply as a freshman, you may want to try and file an appeal with the college or ask for a special exception.
