Early Enrollment: Tips, Tricks, and Potential Costs!
Many veteran homeschool parents wish they had known more about cost savings much earlier than they did! This is one area where many wish they had had a high school counselor! On this page we’ll share some tips and tricks we’ve learned in the last few years that hopefully will help you! In upcoming weeks we will add other schools from across the state to the listings of requirements and costs. This is a great place to start gathering information for your high school students to use to plan and compare their options!
When to start ACT prep:
Start preparing for ACT by 9th grade if you are looking to early/dual enroll. The Alabama Public Library has a fantastic FREE resource for this. You do not have to have an AL library card to access this. Learning Express: College Admissions Test Preparation
Prepare for important exams like the ACT®, SAT®, AP® Tests, and more. They have 4 complete, timed, tests to practice on that pop up a score at the end.
https://www.learningexpresshub.com/productengine/LELIndex.html#/learningexpresslibrary/libraryhome
FREE ACT under income:
In some states you are able to get free ACT codes along with your public school counterparts. Alabama is not yet one of those states. One way to get a FREE ACT code is to fall into certain income brackets. You will need to find a local high school counselor who will very your income from your previous year’s income taxes. (They don’t need to make a copy, or keep them, they just need to verify.) At that point they will give you a code to enter at check out. BONUS: This code also include a 6 month access to a $180 ACT Prep program! You will just add it to your cart at check out. Here is a link to find those income requirements!
https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/FeeWaiver.pdf
Dual enrollment VS Early enrollment:
Different colleges around the state have different terms for the type of Early or Dual Enrollment that they offer. These are terms that may trip you up and even lead to incorrect information when you are calling area colleges about this topic. Sometimes Dual enrollment refers to a program that is tied to the public school system, where college teachers go to the school and teach the kids there, and they receive college credit. Other times church schools can partner with local colleges for a Dual Enrollment program that may even provide free tuition and books for certain qualifying courses of study. When you call the college of interest, make sure you let them know that you are wanting to enroll your students while they are still in high school for college credits. It is very helpful if you make SURE whomever you speak to has successfully put a home school student all the way through the admissions process!
What are these for your transcript?
Early enrollment is when your high schooler takes college credit courses. The colleges aren’t going to “count” these for you as high school credit for you. You CAN use these as on your transcript, which makes them dual enrollment.
What’s in a name?
These programs go by many different names. A very small few will call them dual enrollment. They are also called early enrollment, accelerated programs, and at one, Freshman Academy. So if you are contacting a college not listed here, be sure to specify what you are looking for: classes that your high school age student can participate in while earning college credits.
Here are some colleges and what they require
*None of these prices includes books, and are subject to change.
Bishop State Community College
(Trade School)
- Trades College
- Starts 10th grade
- Must have cover school
- 2.5 GPA
- No ACT required
- Possibly finish certificate, may have to do a few more courses, those would cost
- Can only change trade once
- FREE
- CKennedy@bishop.edu
Bishop State Community College
(Academic)
- transcript
- ACT English 18
- Math/reading 20
- $144 per semester hour
- 251-405-7005
University of South Alabama
- Early enroll
- 1 Free IF you meet the following requirements:
- Complete junior year
- 2.8 GPA/ACT 28
- Letter of recommendation
- Linda Grizzle 251-460-1172
TROY University
- ACCELERATE Dual Enrollment Program
- 20 ACT/1030 SAT (no writing) and a 3.0 GPA.
- $169 per credit hour
- There are summer sessions
https://etroy.troy.edu/Schedule/eCourseSchedule.aspx?levelid=UG&termid=18T4 - Annalise Renee Moore
- ACCELERATE Program Coordinator
- Troy University-University Park
- Office of Admissions
- Phone: (334)808-6707
- Email: armoore@troy.edu / accelerate@troy.edu
Coastal Alabama Community College
- Accelerated Program
- Complete 10 th grade
- 2.5 gpa
- transcript
- No composite Act
- 18-ENGLISH
- 20-MATH
- 20- READING
- $170 PER SEMESTER HOUR
- Joe Beatty 580-2243
- Joe.Beatty@Coastal.edu
University of Mobile
- Freshman Academy
- Can START 10th grade
- NO ACT
- First class is FREE
- $100 per semester hour
- 2 per semester
- Faith Baker (was homeschooled)
- fbaker@umobile.onmicrosoft.com
University of Alabama
- Completed 9th grade
- 3.0
- NO ACT
- Online course (80% of students are)
- $355 out of state/ $177 IN State per sem hour
- 1-3 classes, no more than 30 hours
- Prefer cover transcripts
- 205-348-7083 Early enroll
Auburn University
- Dual Enrolled
- ACT of 22 (or SAT equivalent)
- minimum grade-point average of 3.25
- In State $283 per semester hour
- Out of state $378 Per semester Hour
Make SURE whoever you speak to has successfully put a home school student all the way through admissions. You do not need to have followed “an accredited curriculum” but they might.Every single one of these schools I spoke to had nothing but good, encouraging things to say about home schoolers. None even blinked at the idea of them attending, with many having glowing things to say about our communities and kids!Bonus: Scholarship Sites for after graduation
Many of these scholarships are ones you need to be working towards before your senior year. Counselors tip, look at the ones you want to try for and mark the deadlines on your calendar so you don’t forget. You will have a lot of things going on senior year and this will help you tremendously.
*Tech/Vocational schools are turning out to be a totally different animal. No early enrollment at the three schools I called Fortis, Blue Cliff, and Remington. Also, if this is a path your child is interested in
after graduation start talking to them sooner rather than later. Call and take a tour, and then discuss what you need to have to be able to attend as soon as possible.
Blue Cliff is VERY homeschool friendly. If this us a path your child wants to take I highly recommend this for your homeschooled child. The owners homeschool their children and are very familiar and welcoming to our community!
Contact: Tammy Dunnam in Admissions