Our community college offers classes to high school juniors and seniors in our area; if my student takes college courses there in conjunction with his/her high school classes, will the credits transfer to a major college or university? Is there a limit to the number of credits that will be accepted?

Every college and university is different. Some will accept all, some a few, others none at all. Most large state schools accept dual enrollment courses without issue. Most Ivy League schools don’t accept any type of transfer credit, no matter if it was taken in high school or not. Your small private schools may or may not accept the credits, depending on what courses were taken and if it’s similar to what they offer.

The best advice I can give you regarding dual enrollment courses is to check with the admissions office of the college or university your student plans on applying to and find out their specific requirements.

Now, all that being said, have your student take as many community college courses as possible, even if they won’t transfer to his intended school. The reason is that these courses will add an element of credibility to your student’s transcript that high school courses alone will not have. College admissions staff see these classes as a more objective evaluation of your students academic ability. Any time a course is taken and graded by someone other than a family member is seen as a good thing by the collegiate admissions personnel.

So. Check with the intended school(s) on their transfer policies. Take the community college courses. Get good grades. Add the courses to your transcripts. Apply. Get accepted. Succeed. Any questions?

Related posts:

1. Are AP/Honors Courses Preferred to Dual Enrollment?
2. Applications & Community College Courses
3. What's the Deal with Dual Enrollment?

When should applications be sent?

Applications should be sent to each college or university you are applying to before the end of first semester senior year. (Of course this is assuming that your family is following a traditional semester course of study.) Does the school you’re applying to have an application deadline or do they offer rolling admission? (Rolling admission means they are constantly accepting applications and don’t have a deadline.) This will determine the best time to submit your application. For scholarship purposes, it may need to be sent in sooner, depending upon the scholarship’s specific requirements and deadline. Generally speaking, as long as the application is in by the end of January during senior year, you shouldn’t have a problem being admitted, although you could miss out on some scholarships. The FAFSA priority deadline for financial aid and scholarships is March 1st every year, so it’s best to have been admitted to the school of choice by that date.

Does it hurt to take the 100 level courses at a community college before applying to a university?

No, it certainly doesn’t hurt to take these classes, in fact, most likely it will help a students chances for admission. The reason for this being that it shows the college or university that your student can “hack it.” Some schools may not allow the courses to transfer in, but it will still look good on a transcript.

As always, if you have other recommendations, comment away!

Related posts:

1. Questions of the Day – Transcripts & College Applications
2. Will Community College Courses Transfer?
3. Are AP/Honors Courses Preferred to Dual Enrollment?