5 ways high school students can earn college credit
With the rising cost of college education, gaining some college-level credits while still in high school is becoming ever more attractive for budget-conscious students.
EDsmart outlined five kinds of college credits high school students can earn before starting college.
The average cost of an undergraduate degree—including tuition, fees, and room and board—rose 169% between 1980 and 2020, according to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. Tuition and fees, however, have stabilized since just before the coronavirus pandemic began.
To save on tuition, students can earn credits in a variety of ways—from Advanced Placement classes to summer school programs that allow high school students to take college-level courses. The number of high school students taking college courses for credit jumped 68% between the 2002-2003 and 2010-2011 school years, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Nearly 70% of high schools by 2015 made dual enrollment classes available, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Which credits are accepted toward a college degree varies by institution, and how high you score on an examination will determine whether credits are accepted by some schools. Other schools might limit how many credits you can earn through a dual enrollment class, in which you earn high school and college credits at the same time. There is also the question of whether the credits will count toward requirements, and which ones.
Besides the cost savings, students who earn postsecondary education credits early may be able to take a semester off or have lighter course loads once they reach college or university.
