(Green is me)
High schoolers may attend college. As a matter of fact “Many schools have no choice but to consider admitting students regardless of their ages because of the Age Discrimination Act of 1975. Any institution that receives financial assistance from the federal government, such as a public college or university, is not allowed to discriminate based on age.”
How Young is Too Young to Enroll in College?
Dual enrollment (or concurrent enrollment) is available to high schoolers.
“Dual Enrollment, also sometimes referred to as Dual Credit, is a program in which a student can earn college credit by taking college-level classes in high school. Though it differs by state, Dual Credit classes will likely be offered via a partnership with your school and a local community college. These courses will be specially marked on all course enrollment forms.” “Most states allow 10-12th graders to enroll in dual enrollment courses, and they usually require that the student meet a minimum GPA requirement, usually around 3.0 or higher. Other than that, the course requirements vary.”
Though there are usually not enough classes available to dual enrollment to get a degree, most colleges will likely accept your dual credit courses as college credit, provided that you meet a certain grade standard.
“Most of the time, you will be able to take Dual Enrollment courses either at your high school or online. Sometimes, however, you may have to go to the local community college to take the course, in which case you may have to take time outside of school hours to take a dual enrollment course.
Each school will have different dual enrollment courses that they offer, but they’re usually introductory college courses that you will need to take while you’re in college anyway. Many colleges will accept dual enrollment courses as a waiver for the corresponding college introductory course.”
Dual Enrollment: Things You Should Know
and
“College Credit in High School
BYU-Idaho has opened all its courses to qualified high school students if the appropriate prerequisite requirements are met. You can choose to enroll in and attend online courses or, if your circumstances allow, you can attend classes on campus. You can earn “general education” credits before you leave high school. This could put you well on your way to completing an Associate Degree or Bachelor’s Degree and help you graduate from college in less time and with huge savings!”
Concurrent Enrollment
So, long story short, she could have gone to BYU as early as 16. If she was dual enrolled she would obviously not need a GED (she could not be a graduate and dual enroll). (Most colleges require a ACT/SAT test and/or a GPA of at least 3.0 or higher.) My daughter-in-law dual enrolled in Florida. As long as she was still in school (she was home schooled), she attended college with free tuition. As I understand it, not all colleges will give free tuition in this case but with most you will save a lot of money at least.