Homeschooled high school students are benefitting from the growing early enrollment options available through higher education institutions, where they can earn college credit during the high school years at a drastically reduced cost. These programs, through universities like WVU ACCESS and WVU Tech, offer a range of academic opportunities for the high school student seeking an academic challenge, whether their courses be on-campus or online.
Dual enrollment has become a popular alternative to AP testing due to its growing availability through online classes and its low cost. Classes through WVU Tech are $25 per credit hour, while classes through the WVU ACCESS program are $75 per credit hour.
“I am homeschooling two high school students, but I wanted to give them the opportunity to have an instructor other than me before college, and to earn early college credit,” says one homeschooling mom. Her daughters are dual enrolled at WVU Tech, and both will be taking English 101 this fall—even though one daughter is a sophomore.
“I had inquired if it would be possible for my rising sophomore to take a class also,” the mom says, “and I was told that it would be possible, even though those classes are typically reserved for juniors and seniors. She has already taken the ACT and scored well in language and reading, and I supplied this information unofficially to the college while asking about her enrollment.”
While students enrolled in public school are limited to taking dual enrollment courses during their junior and senior years, homeschooled students can additionally enroll during their sophomore year with their parents’ approval and a GPA of at least 3.0. The school may also ask for proof that the student is academically capable; Pierpont Community College requires a $22 fee per credit hour for an evaluation that the student must pass in order to enroll, for example.
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