Q. If a homeschool student takes dual enrollment classes at a community college, could this impact freshman scholarship opportunities?
A. According to Lee Andes, assistant director of financial aid with the State Council of Higher Education (SCHEV), there is not a clear-cut answer to this question. The term “freshman” can have different meanings, and in the end, the one offering the scholarship establishes the eligibility requirements.
Mr. Andes explained the following acceptable definitions of the term “freshman:”
- A student in his first year of a bachelor’s degree program
- A student attending any institution for the first time at the undergraduate level including students who may have taken summer courses or “students who entered with advanced standing (college credits earned before graduation from high school)”
- A student who has completed less than the equivalent of one full year of undergraduate work (less than 30 semester hours in a 120-hour degree program)