Academics: Earning College Credit

Options for Earning College Credit

Disclaimers
  1. This page’s content is designed to be read as a general guide and not as authoritative or universally-applicable information. 
  2. This information has been reviewed by high school and college enrollment experts; however you should consult your individual state’s high school requirements or processes, or homeschool laws, to ensure that your education is satisfactory. 

This page will help you to understand some of the options available to high schoolers for earning college credit, namely college dual enrollment and ACE credit. 

There are many options for earning college credit as a high school student. I will touch on two basic options here, but there are many more available. You can mix and match your options to get ahead!

Dual Enrollment

Many colleges and universities offer Dual Enrollment options for high school students who want to take college courses while still in high school. Dual Enrollment options are largely available only to high school juniors and seniors, however if you are a freshman or sophomore it is still helpful to plan ahead! 

Local public community colleges are great options for earning college credit while in high school, since their courses are often very affordable and they are close to home. Many will have dual enrollment options and details available on their websites, or you can always ask a school’s Admissions Office if they do dual enrollment and how it works at their school. One great thing about public community colleges is that their courses typically have a very high degree of transferability (they can be transferred to other schools easily), since many public and private colleges and universities have transfer agreements to help students earn four-year degrees after studying at a community college. Also, if you’re attending a public or private high school, ask your administrative staff if they might have any connections with a local community college already – sometimes college courses can even be taught right in the high school!

Local public or private colleges or universities may have dual enrollment options available. It is worth exploring what their available programs are, and to get firm numbers before committing to them; often, students can be limited to earning credit as a “non-degree seeking student” which may mean paying higher rates for a limited number of courses. 

Some large universities with large online presences may have more flexibility for high school students to take online college courses. For example, Liberty University Online Academy is an online K-12 division of Liberty University which offers Dual Enrollment options so that high school juniors and seniors can take online college courses at lower rates. Do your research to see if your desired college or university offers any similar programs!

ACE Credit

American Council on Education (ACE) credit is very widely accepted, but it is important to remember that each institution determines which ACE credits they will accept and what courses they will transfer as at their school. Many colleges and universities have charts which indicate which individual ACE credits will transfer to their institution and which courses the ACE credits will satisfy.

American Council on Education is the overarching organization that awards credit for many different tests and courses offered by many different organizations. With most ACE test options, if you pass the test then you earn ACE credit. With most ACE course options, if you pass the course then you earn ACE credit. 

Here are a few popular test options and a few popular course options:

Tests

Courses