***** It is ALWAYS advisable to seek confirmation of information directly from the source (LSC). Information and policies are always changing, so please be sure to check with LSC directly!******
Some things to know before you begin:
When you begin dual credit classes at LSC, you enter a 4 year partnership with the college. It is unclear to me if this means that you would not be able to take more than 4 years of classes at LSC or if they would just renew the partnership after 4 years. From what I gather in a meeting with Andrew Sanchez (the coordinator of school partnerships at LSC-UP), you will ONLY be allowed 4 years at LSC. This is very different from other community colleges, like HCC, that do not terminate the agreement until graduation. This would mean that even if your student is ready to take College Algebra in 6th grade, it might not be advantageous or advisable to take the college class then at LSC, as you would have to commit to begin the clock. Instead, I might suggest using CLEP to gain the college credit OR taking it outside LSC at a school that offers dual credit (HCC, Arizona State University, WTAMU, Liberty, LETU, etc.)
Do not consider enrolling in the college if you don't believe your child can pass the TSIA2 (The Texas Success Initiative). For most community colleges, the TSIA2 is the entrance exam required for admission. There are ways around taking the TSI, but it is challenging for me to suggest them, as I do believe the TSI is a decent indicator of college readiness. My son had already completed English 101 and English 102 with ASU, so he was not required to take the English portion of the TSI, but he did have to take the math. As of the date I am writing this, LSC allows students to take the TSI online or in-person and allows for one free test.
Complete each college course attempted with a grade of C or better in order to continue in the dual credit program.
Students age 15 or younger must have a parent, legal guardian or authorized responsible adult at the LSC campus, center or facility to monitor the student's activities outside of class and to be immediately available in case of an emergency.
The tuition rate for all dual credit classes at Lone Star College is $26 per credit hour, regardless of in-district or out-of-district status. Any additional fees that may apply are flat amounts dependent on the course. Additionally, there are book costs and internet codes associated with some courses. Dual credit at LSC is only offered to Texas residents.
It is possible for students to take courses at other colleges while attending Lone Star College. At least 25% of a student’s courses must be taken at Lone Star College and apply to his or her degree to complete an associate degree. At least 50% of a student’s coursework must be completed at Lone Star College to complete a certificate program.
The process:
The first step is to attend an online homeschool dual credit student information meeting. Those are held monthly and posted on the individual campus dual credit pages (see: helpful links).
After that, students can apply through ApplyTexas: https://www.applytexas.org
(The Apply link in the top-right part of the Lone Star College homepage can also be used to navigate to ApplyTexas). By applying you will be generated a student ID. You can then use your student ID to generate a my.lonester.edu email address. You will be required to submit ALL documents from the my.lonestar.edu email, so it is best to just do it right away.
There are quite a few forms to fill out. These will be emailed to you at your Lonestar.edu email address. These include:
Parental Consent and Waiver Form for Minor Students
Agreement Regarding Minor Student on Campus
Expectations Agreement for Online Classes
Dual Course Credit Partnership Agreement Between Lone Star College and Homeschool
Homeschool Transcript & Graduation Plan (must be typed)
Dual Credit/Exceptional Admission Course Approval Form
The last two forms (the transcript & graduation plan and the admission course approval) will be submitted every single semester. My advice would be to keep the transcript very simple and easy to edit (since you will be continuously updating it and resubmitting it). And have your student complete the graduation plan. The graduation plan is mostly just a formality, but it really does set up some ownership and planning of your student’s schedule. If your child will be transferring to a 4 year school, look up the degree plan for that school and see what classes you can take at LSC that will fulfill the requirements at the destination university. The forms and a transcript/graduation plan template can be found toward the bottom of the LSC-University Park Dual Credit website, under the Resources and Forms section: https://www.lonestar.edu/UPDualCredit
Homeschools may use their own transcripts and graduation plans, but the information listed on page two of the partnership agreement must be present on the documents. Transcript-and-Graduation-Plan Template-Fillable.pdf (lonestar.edu)
Lone Star College dual credit representatives must register students who have not yet completed a homeschool program. The information included on a student’s course approval form is used to register him or her for the listed classes. Students may request schedule changes by submitting a dual credit drop/add form. The drop/add form can be found under the Resources and Forms section of the lonestar webpage: https://www.lonestar.edu/UPDualCredit
The TCCNS is a solid general planning resource: https://tccns.org/. It is a collaborative effort between institutions of higher education in Texas to provide students with a comprehensive course transfer list. Destination institutions should be contacted when possible to verify that courses will transfer as listed on the TCCNS website. This is a helpful website to refer to as you are creating the graduation plan. It is important to be sure that the credits will transfer correctly to your destination university.
There is a list of specific courses that are available for dual credit, found here: https://www.lonestar.edu/departments/academicaffairsstusuccess/Approved-Dual-Credit-Courses.pdf. Students may request courses not on the list for college credit only if they have the necessary prerequisites. Full tuition applies for any college credit only classes that are requested.
Helpful links:
TEA’s Official Dual Credit FAQ:
My son did all his registration through LSC Cy-Fair Dual Credit:
Email for LSC Cy-F: CF-DCHomeschool@lonestar.edu