Dual Credit for Homeschool and College

Dual credit occurs when students take college-level courses during high school and receive credit for both high school and college. An example is when a high school student takes a junior college course and is rewarded credit at both the high school and the junior college. This college credit is transferable to almost all universities. 

Other types of credit used as dual credit for Homeschool and college are; credit by exam, alternative college credit, or credit for prior learning. This type of credit is not issued by colleges, so when a transcript is sent to a university, it only shows the passing classes with no incompletes or failures. No college registration is needed; all that is required is study, payment, and a valid ID. There are no age limits, and it is mostly online and self-paced.

College Credit by Exam

There are three well-known Credit by Exam providers; Advanced Placement (AP), College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), and DSST or Dantes. When a student passes these tests they are rewarded with credit that will be turned into college credit if the university honors them. These credits can also be put on the homeschool transcript.

• Advanced Placement (AP) exams cover 39 college-level subjects. They are given in May each year by High schools, and homeschool students can take them. The cost is $98 per test. AP tests are sponsored by the College Board.

• CLEP exams (from the College Board) cover 34 college-level subjects. They can be taken online at home and cost $93 per exam. Modern States, a charity, pays the exam and proctoring fees with their “Freshman Year for Free” program. 

• There are 37 DSST or Dantes tests. DSST was developed so military personnel could get college credit by taking an exam. These exams are available to everyone, can be taken online year-round, and cost $100 per exam.

The advantage of Credit by Exam is that if you know the subject well, you can earn college credit with a 2-hour test. The cost per credit is under $40. Credit by exam is honored by most Universities.

Alternative College Credit Courses

Other sources of dual credit for homeschools and colleges are self-paced courses provided by Saylor Academy, Study.com, Streighterline, and Sophia Learning, to name a few. Some courses on EDx and Coursera are also honored at some colleges. These are courses, not tests by exam, so the grades come from assignments, quizzes, and tests so the grade will not be dependent on just one final test. The above alternative credit sources offer substantial cost savings over college tuition because the cost per course varies from $30 - $200. Universities honor this credit differently and according to their own rules.

We loved credit by exam and alternative credit because it was self-paced, and we completed it at home. Our parents appreciated the low cost.