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3 Tips for Including Dual Enrollment on College Applications

Dual enrollment classes on the transcript

Use an acronym before the class title to clearly show which classes were taken at the community college. That shows that senior year classes are harder than last year - a good trend to show.  You can read about that trend in this blog post, Acronym for Outside Classes.  For the classes your student is currently enrolled in, replace the grade with IP to indicate those classes that have been started at a community college, or use R if registered but classed haven't started. That way they can see what your child has done so far, and what they can expect to see in the future. Read more about that here: Sending Transcripts for Senior Year Applications. When you apply to college, you must send your homeschool transcript, that includes both homeschool classes and community college classes. A transcript must also be sent from the community college directly to the university where your child is applying (there is usually a small fee for that, perhaps $5 each.) List it on the activity list too, something like this: Dual Enrollment Student at Tennessee Community College.

Dual enrollment classes on the comprehensive records

Copy and paste the course description from the community college online catalog. Paste it into Notepad first, if possible, to remove any funky formatting, then paste it into your own comprehensive record document. You don't have to be as detailed with community college classes, but you can be as long as you like. Some parents choose to leave out anything other than the online course description. I prefer to have people list at least the community college textbook for those classes.

Dual enrollment applications to the university

You are applying as a high school senior, as if your classes were taken at a high school, not at the community college.  You are applying as a freshman UNLESS you have taken a community college class after high school graduation. Even one college credit after graduation can change your status from "freshman" to "transfer" and eliminate your chances of some college scholarships. While you are applying as a freshman, that means you can get freshman scholarships and freshman housing - a very big deal. You don't want your children living with college seniors!  But at the same time, dual enrollment classes will allow your child to be more advanced academically, and take appropriate classes the following year. My son, for example, applied as a freshman but was a college junior academically, so he was allowed to get freshman student housing but also take junior level college courses when he registered.

If your child is taking dual enrollment classes, be sure to talk to them every day about what is going on. If possible, take classes with another homeschooler (preferably of the same gender) so your child isn't going into classes alone. More tips on that here: Community College Success