Change Increases Joint Enrollment Opportunities for Home School Students

During its January 2009 meeting, the Board of Regents endorsed expanding the admission of home school students to include those participating in non-accredited home school programs. Effective with the fall 2009 semester, institutions will be permitted to enroll any home school student who meets System and institutional joint enrollment admission requirements. As a result, the following statement is to be added to Section 3.01 of the Academic Affairs Handbook (http://www.usg.edu/academics/handbook/):

Students attending non-accredited home school programs or non-accredited high schools may also be eligible to participate in the joint enrollment program if they meet all regular System and institutional joint enrollment requirements and can validate their on-track, Required High School Curriculum (RHSC) units in accordance with the policy of the institution to which they are applying.

Home schooled students seeking admission as joint enrolled must meet the System’s minimum standards (http://www.usg.edu/academics/handbook/section3/301-310/301-310.phtml#n3.01.01C6) for joint enrollment as well as any additional requirements defined by the individual institution. Participation in this program is not mandatory and institutions can set higher than the System joint enrollment requirements for all students.

The following is the current “joint enrollment” admission requirements:

Joint Enrollment/Early Admission of High School Students
The University System of Georgia recognizes the need to provide academically talented high school students with opportunities for acceleration of their formal academic programs. This recognition has led to the development of two organized programs: (1) a joint enrollment program in which the student, while continuing his/her enrollment in high school as a junior or senior, enrolls in courses for college credit; and (2) an early admission program in which the student enrolls as a full-time college student following completion of the junior year in high school. To participate in either program a student must be enrolled in public or private secondary high school which is accredited by one of the following:
a regional accrediting association (such as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools)
the Georgia Accrediting Commission
the Georgia Private School Accrediting Commission (GAPSAC)
the Accrediting Commission for Independent Study (ACIS) (List of Accredited Centers for Independent Study (PDF))
enrolled in a public school regulated by a school system and state department of education.

Admission Requirements
The minimum admission standards for joint enrollment and early admission are:

Minimum SAT I score of 970, combined Verbal and Mathematics sections, or ACT Composite of 20. (Individual institutions may require higher SAT/ACT scores.)
Minimum cumulative high school grade point average of 3.0 or higher in courses taken from the required 16 CPC units;
Exemption of all LS requirements for early admission;
Written consent of parent or guardian (if the student is a minor);
On track towards the completion of the University System of Georgia 16-unit CPC requirements and high school graduation.

Students wishing to complete their CPC or high school graduation requirements by enrolling in college courses must also meet the following admission requirements:
CPC English and/or Social Science – Students planning to complete their 4th year high school English and/or social studies requirements with college credit must have an SAT I Verbal score of 530 or higher or ACT English score of 23.
CPC Math – Student’s planning to complete their 4th year of high school mathematics must have completed Algebra I and II and Geometry and have a SAT I Mathematics score of at least 530 or ACT Mathematics scores of at least 22.
Electives – Students can enroll in appropriate elective courses as approved by the high school counselor. (Students must have completed two units of a foreign language to enroll in a college foreign language course and students three units of science prior to enrolling in a college science course.)

ACCEL Program
Students who are interested in joint enrollment or early admission may be eligible for funding under ACCEL, the State of Georgia’s dual admission program. For additional information about the ACCEL program, students should contact their high school guidance counselor or the director of the ACCEL program at the Georgia State Department of Education.
Students who do not necessarily meet all of the above admission criteria but who demonstrate very high academic abilities through their SAT or ACT score may be permitted to enroll in college courses at the discretion of the institution. Institutions may set additional requirements but may permit students with scores of at least:
700 on the SAT I Mathematics test (or 31 on ACT Mathematics) to enroll in college courses that require advanced mathematical ability;
700 on the SAT I Verbal test (or 31 on ACT English) to enroll in college courses that require advanced verbal ability; and
in addition, students with extremely high total SAT I or ACT Composite scores may be admitted through the provision for Students with Outstanding Scores described in Section 3.01.01 C3.

Institutions may establish higher admission standards or additional admission requirements for either or both programs. Such additional requirements, however, may not automatically exclude high school juniors from participating in the joint enrollment program. Institutions may have more restrictive requirements for the enrollment of students who are high school juniors rather than seniors but shall provide opportunities for exceptional juniors to enroll in courses for which they are clearly qualified.
Students who do not meet the admission requirements for Joint Enrollment or Early Admission but who wish to enroll in courses leading to a certificate program should contact the Director of Admissions at the institution. High school students who enroll in certificate programs may be eligible to apply for the HOPE Grant. For more information on the HOPE Grant program, students should contact the Georgia Student Finance Commission.
Approved College Courses: Joint Enrollment
Students can select courses from the University System Core Curriculum or courses for which Core Curriculum courses are prerequisites or co-requisites.
Students wishing to take courses outside of those described above must obtain permission of the dean of the college or chair of the department offering the course and the chief academic officer or his/her designee. Exceptions should be considered only under unusual circumstances.
Students must be carefully advised and allowed admission only to those courses for which they have adequate preparation.
High school students seeking to use college courses to satisfy high school graduation requirements should be directed to contact their high school counselor for a list of approved courses.
Acceptance of Transfer Credit: Joint Enrollment
College credit earned at an accredited institution prior to high school graduation will be considered as transfer credit if the student was enrolled as a joint enrollment/early admission student and had a minimum SAT I score of 970 (or ACT Composite of 20) and a HSGPA of 3.00 (B) on a 4.00 scale or if the student was a participant in an approved Early College program.
College credit earned at an accredited institution prior to high school graduation can be considered if approved by the receiving institution, and if the student has completed 30 or more credit hours of transferable college (not including the hours earned prior to high school graduation), and if the student has satisfied any or all Learning Support requirements.