When Jennifer Pearson’s son started college this fall, 24 of his credits were already done. He earned them in high school, in Veritas Scholars Academy classes he was taking anyway.
That gave him a choice most freshmen never get. His college told him he could finish his bachelor’s degree in three years. Or he could stay four and use the room for more.
He chose more. He’s now working toward two degrees, in Biblical and Theological Studies and in History, with minors in Education and English.
Jennifer knows dual enrollment from two sides. She’s a VSA parent, and she’s also one of our Academic Advisors. If you’re weighing whether dual enrollment is worth it, here’s how it went for her family, including the credits that didn’t count and what she did about them.
At a Glance
| Graduated VSA | 2026, Full-Time Diploma student |
|---|---|
| Started dual enrollment | 10th grade |
| Courses | 13, every eligible course he took |
| Credits earned | 39, all through Cairn University, all A’s |
| Credits his college applied | 24, all to specific degree requirements |
| Paid | $5,837 ($449 per three-credit course) |
| Refunded | $2,245 for the 5 courses his college didn’t accept |
| Net cost of the 24 credits | $3,592 |
| Value of the year he could have skipped | More than $22,400 |
| What the credits made possible | A three-year degree, or two degrees and two minors in four years. He chose the second. |
How It Started
The family first heard about dual enrollment from their Academic Advisor in 10th grade. At the time, her son couldn’t decide between chemistry and history. He had no idea where he’d apply.
So they added dual enrollment to every eligible course. “We knew that DE would look great on his transcript,” Jennifer says, “and the advantage of that outweighed the ‘risk’ of credits not transferring.”
They didn’t check with colleges first. They knew most colleges accept dual enrollment credit in some form (a national survey of admissions and registrar offices found that 86% of institutions did, with private colleges less likely to than public ones, according to AACRAO). They also knew the details would depend on his major. Later, he weighed each college’s dual enrollment policy when deciding where to apply.
As for the workload, there wasn’t any extra. “The work is the same that he would have taken if he didn’t do dual enrollment,” Jennifer says. “That’s the best part about DE: no added work!” His classes were challenging but doable, and she believes they prepared him well for college.
What Counted
His college applied 24 of his 39 credits to specific degree requirements. Seeing that was satisfying, Jennifer says, “almost as though the college validated the hard work he had done.”
Most of those credits came from Omnibus, the great books sequence of history, theology and literature at the center of a Veritas education. Six Omnibus courses became 18 college credits, a fitting start for a student who went on to study history and theology.
The other 15 credits weren’t accepted at all.
| VSA course | Credits | Result | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Omnibus IV, V and VI (Primary and Secondary) | 18 | Counted | Omnibus IV Primary first came in as an elective, then moved to his major on appeal |
| Senior Thesis | 3 | Counted | Transfers as Cairn’s ENG 101, English Composition |
| Greek I | 3 | Counted | Counted toward his degree requirements |
| Latin III: Readings in Classical Authors | 3 | Not accepted | The college doesn’t teach Latin |
| Latin IV: Readings in Virgil | 3 | Not accepted | The college doesn’t teach Latin |
| Rhetoric II | 3 | Not accepted | Falls in the college’s Core program, which must be taken on campus |
| Organic Chemistry | 3 | Not accepted | No lab credit attached |
| Statistics | 3 | Not accepted |
Those reasons came down to how one college is built: which subjects it teaches, which courses it prefers to teach itself, and how it handles lab sciences. Each one is a question a family can ask before registering.
Because he was a Full-Time Diploma student, the family was refunded the dual enrollment fee for all five courses that didn’t transfer: $2,245.
The Appeal
The news wasn’t all good, and Jennifer is honest about that. “We were disappointed that some of the credit we thought would be easy transfers were not accepted,” she says.
So she appealed two decisions, covering 6 credits:
- Omnibus IV Primary, which the college had first accepted only as a general elective
- Organic Chemistry, which it had turned down
She emailed VSA’s dual enrollment team ([email protected]) for the official Cairn syllabi. She sent those to the college with his major assignments and the list of books he’d read. The whole appeal took one week.
Omnibus IV Primary moved from elective credit to a requirement in his major. That matters more than it sounds. Elective credit counts toward the total. Requirement credit checks off a specific class he would otherwise have to take.
Organic Chemistry stayed out, narrowly. The registrar offered to accept it as a three-credit science lecture if he took a one-credit lab on campus. The final call belonged to the chemistry professor, who didn’t think that was the right arrangement.
“We were really pleased with the final outcome!” Jennifer says.
The Outcomes
With 24 requirement credits done, he skipped most of the usual introductory courses. “He could start on his majors right away!” Jennifer says. Nearly all of his second degree and both minors fit into the space those credits opened.
In his own words:
“It gave me confidence! It also gave me freedom to pursue the classes I wanted to take based on my major and interests, rather than the ones I had to take for requirements.”
Here’s what that head start was worth. After scholarships, a year at his college costs the family more than $26,000 for tuition, room and board (more than $60,000 before scholarships). The 24 credits that counted cost $3,592 after the refund. Graduating a year early would have saved the family more than $22,400.
$22,400+
The value of the year he could have skipped, rolled into a second degree and two minors
$26,000+ for a year at his college after scholarships, minus $3,592 for his 24 credits
He chose to stay four years and put that year toward a second degree and two minors. In effect, the family rolled more than $22,400 of savings into a second degree.
There may have been one more benefit. His admissions counselor said he was impressed by how many dual enrollment credits he had taken. “Whether that factored into his acceptance or the scholarships they gave him, I can’t say for certain,” Jennifer says, “but I’m sure it helped showcase him as a strong student!”
Jennifer’s Advice
Looking back, she wouldn’t change a thing. As an Academic Advisor, though, she’s careful about timing.
“It’s important to understand that dual enrollment credits will be on an official college transcript, and that becomes part of a student’s permanent record,” she says. “If a student is struggling or new to VSA classes, I recommend waiting until the following year to add DE. You don’t want to undo the advantages of doing DE with a low or failing grade.”
For everyone else, her advice is short: “I would tell them 100% to do it!”
Her son’s is just as direct:
There isn’t a good reason not to do dual enrollment if it’s financially possible. It gives you options, and you can decide what to do with those options.
Is Dual Enrollment Worth It for Your Student?
If the thought of paying for credits that might not count gives you pause, that’s a reasonable thing to weigh. This family lived it, and they’d still do it again.
Thirteen courses is the far end of what dual enrollment can look like. Most students take a few, and a single course that counts toward a requirement can still mean one less class in college. Here’s what this family’s story shows.
Check before you register, especially if you’re part-time. Ask your student’s likely colleges three questions:
- Do you accept dual enrollment credit from Cairn University?
- Will this course count toward a requirement, or only as an elective?
- Are any courses, like a core program or a science lab, required on your campus?
The Dual Enrollment Info Sheet lists the Cairn course behind every eligible VSA course, so you can ask about each one by name.
If a college says no, ask again. Email [email protected] for the official syllabi, and send them with your student’s work. An appeal won’t always change the answer, but it can change how credit counts.
Full-Time Diploma families have a safety net. If the first college your student attends won’t accept the credit in any form, we refund the dual enrollment fee. Part-time families aren’t covered by the refund, so checking first matters more.
Dual enrollment is $449 per three-credit course for Full-Time Diploma students and $549 for Part-Time students. Registration for this school year closes November 15.
Your Academic Advisor or Family Consultant knows your student and can help you decide which courses, if any, make sense this year.