I recently attended a dual-credit information session at our local Community College (North Central Texas College, NCTC).  My full notes are HERE.  Whether or not this specific option is for you, it is good to know how a home schooled student can get a jumpstart on college courses and credits. If you are interested in going the NCTC route (dual or early enrollment), there are strict deadlines (and dual enrollment is earlier than normal admissions).  You need to start talking to one of the friendly dual credit administrators ASAP.  There are a few ways to gain college credit on courses you take in high school. 

1) Dual Enrollment. College courses taken during high school through a dual enrollment program are cheaper than normal college courses, but there are limitations to the number and selection of courses allowed.  One required course in “Learning Foundations” is all that NCTC allows the first semester of Jr. year, and 2 "core" courses second semester if student did well in foundations.  In Sr. year, a typical dual credit load is 2 courses each semester, but up to 4 may be allowed with qualifying good performance.  Students in public high school programs are additionally limited by what their high school program allows, but homeschoolers have the flexibility to take full advantage of what the college allows.  Unfortunately, foreign language is not on the list of core courses allowed for dual enrollment credit at NCTC.  Dual enrollment also opens up scholarship opportunities for students transferring within the Texas state college system.

2) Early Enrollment.  Interestingly, if the student gets a GED or chooses “early enrollment” option as a high school senior, then all courses open up to them but not with the lower tuition cost of dual credit.  NCTC has a 13 year old student there that has taken the GED route to qualify for enrollment.  This is a similar route to what the Harding Family describes in their book:  The Brainy Bunch.  (We have this book if anyone wants to borrow.  It’s certainly an interesting idea!).  There are other potential benefits available through NCTC that I’ve noted, such as transfer student scholarships and CLEP testing services for college credits to transfer in.

3) Testing Options.  The above options fit into the recommended approach in our College-Prep Homeschool Guide.  In general, (1) you can’t go wrong with a solid high school program and transcript, and (2) a few additional steps, tests, and deadlines can be rewarding.  For those wishing to get a jumpstart on college credits, it is certainly good to understand the NCTC option.  However, gaining credits through AP or CLEP test scores is still cheaper and more flexible than this option (transferable outside Texas, fewer limitations). while you homeschool.  You don’t have to take a certified course to take AP exam for college credit, but to have “Advanced Placement” marked on your transcript, the course materials must be audited and approved by the College Board. 

There are multiple reasons to recommend that students wanting to go to college consider these options for getting a jump start.  One good reason is the opportunity to avoid the garbage they teach in certain college courses by testing out of them.  Another is cost.  My wife and I both earned college credit through AP tests on homeschool courses.  Those were the cheapest college credits we ever earned.  These credits helped me to graduate with an engineering degree in 7 semesters with summers off, and start working sooner – a significant multiplier on the initial savings.  I also received a significant scholarship from the Elk's foundation that took many hours to apply for in high school.  But to this day, the equivalent wage from those hours is much higher than any I’ve ever earned since!  I bring this up to say that opportunities are there, and homeschooled students are not limited.  Indeed, they even have certain advantages over schooled students.  

God, Bless our students!