Prospective Students — Overview
High school students may earn credit toward high school graduation and college degree completion through concurrent enrollment. Early college enrollment allows academically qualified high school students the opportunity to earn college level credit while continuing their high school courses and activities.
Advantages
- High school students who have completed high school areas of study can continue to progress with higher level course work at Idaho State University.
- Idaho State University may offer areas of study not available in high school.
- Experiencing college level course work while still in high school may aid with student transition into a college or university environment.
- Gaining marketable technical or career skills not offered by the high school.
- Earning college credit in high school may accelerate student degree completion and thereby lower the overall expense of college.
- High school students also enrolled as ISU students can access university services such as the library.
- In many instances, Idaho State University courses successfully completed are easily transferable to other colleges and universities.
- High school students have many enrollment options at Idaho State University.
Challenges
- High school students are not eligible for federal financial aid grant or loan programs.
- Additional or full ISU scholarships are not available to high school students.
- All courses taken and grades earned in Idaho State University courses will be recorded on permanent college records and transcript.
- Instructors teaching college level material have greater expectations of students enrolled.
- College courses require more time and commitment than high school courses.
- High school students are more likely to receive lower grades in a college course versus a high school course.
- The class schedule of colleges courses, through distance learning or on-campus, may conflict with high school classes, extracurricular activities, or high school vacation days.
Some institutions do not accept college credit earned on a high school campus. Ask an admissions advisor at the college or university in which you plan to enroll about the acceptance of concurrent enrollment credits.