Dual Enrollment: The Accel Program

What is the difference between Dual Enrollment and Joint Enrollment?

Dual Enrollment – a program where the student, while still in high school, can enroll in a course (or courses) that will count for both high school and college credit.

Joint Enrollment – a program where the student, while still in high school at the junior or senior level, can enroll in courses for college credit.

Let's take a closer look at Dual Enrollment. Here is a list of reasons why we should prayerfully consider dual enrollement: (*Update: The following list of reasons is from a Dual Enrollment Expo flyer that I previously posted about. Christine Torre is the founder of the Dual Enrollment Expo and the creator of the flyer.)
1. Save money – it's PAID FOR by State of Georgia ACCEL funds
2. Get basic college courses out of the way early
3. Shorten the length of time spent earning a college degree
4. Earn a technical certificate while in high school
5. Credits transfer to most Georgia and US colleges
6. Eliminate repeating upper level high school classes in college
7. Earn college and high school credit at the same time
8. Bolster college applications with real college experience
9. Let someone else teach upper level math and science classes
10. Area colleges ARE seriously recruiting high school students

The Accel program is for students at eligible high schools that wish to take college level coursework for credit towards both high school and college graduation requirements. Eligible students must meet certain criteria. The program is offered during the fall, winter, and spring terms of the school year.

To be eligible for the Accel program, a student must:

1. Be a high school student seeking a high school diploma from a public or private secondary educational institution, including unaccredited home study or home school programs;

To read more about eligibility, amount awarded and the application process visit GACollege411: Accel Program.

For more detailed information read GSFC's Accel Program Regulations (2013-2014) PDF.

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Accel Course Directory (2013-2014) PDF (Colleges listed alphabetically)

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I've listed a few colleges and their dual enrollment information to get you (and me!) started:
Georgia College: Dual Enrollment

Georgia Gwinnett College: Dual Enrollment

Georgia Perimeter College: Dual Enrollment

Lanier Technical College: Dual Enrollment

Toccoa Falls: Dual Enrollment
*Toccoa Falls College offers a unique program that allows students to take their college courses either online or on-campus.

Truett-McConnell College: Dual Enrollment

Georgia HOPE Scholarship Program

Here is some new information regarding the Georgia HOPE Scholarship:

Beginning with students graduating from high school on or after May 1, 2015, in order to be eligible to receive a HOPE scholarship, a student must receive atleast two credits in courses from a list of "rigor" courses prior to graduating from high school. For students graduating on or after May 1, 2016, the number of credits required is atleast three from the rigor course list. For students graduating on or after May 1, 2017, the number of rigor credits required is atleast four from the rigor course list.

From what I understand, the new standards will be required to be met by accredited homeschoolers, but my question is, what about non-accredited homeschoolers. (?) From what I can gather, non-accredited homeschoolers do not have to meet the "rigor requirements" to be eligible for HOPE, but it seems to me that it would be wise to meet these requirements if at all possible because you never know how the Lord might lead your child further down the road. From what I can see, some of the "rigor courses" are courses that may have already been in your high school plan anyway such as: Chemistry I, Physics I, Spanish II, ASL II and Statistics. It also looks as though a child taking dual enrollment courses in core subjects (English, math, science, social studies and foreign language) at a University System of Georgia unit could meet the requirements that way as well.

Please checkout the links below, and let me know your thoughts.

GA HOPE Scholarship Program

• *Georgia Student Finance Commission
• 1. Georgia's HOPE Scholarship Program Overview
• 2. HOPE Scholarship Rigor Explanation (2015-2017) PDF
• 3. HOPE Scholarship Rigor Requirements (2015-2017) PDF
• 4. HOPE Scholarship Rigor Course List (2015-2017) PDF
• 5. HOPE Eligible Institutions PDF
• 6. HOPE and Accredited Home Study Program
• 7. HOPE and Unaccredited Home Study Program
• 8. Georgia's HOPE Program
• 9. Links to Admissions to HOPE Eligible Institutions