Finishing HS with CLEP/DSST

[Suzie]

Hi, I am new here. My name is Suzie and I live full-time in a motor home with my husband and 6 kids ranging in age from 10-21. We are traveling the US (48 contiguous) for 12-18 months. We've been in 45 of the states so far. We are homeschooling on the road (Just a little background so you know me).

My question for today revolves around my third son. He's a HS senior this year. We are trying to finish up his HS transcript and are looking to do that through taking more CLEP/DSST in order to get those credits transferred to a college when he's done with HS.

He already has 30 college credits through CLEP that translate to 10 HS credits already.

For his two older brothers we used CollegePlus and they are both Computer Science majors at TESU. 

This son however, wants a Graphic Design major (which TESU does not offer) and we are no longer using CollegePlus (now Lumerit) so I am kind of navigating this alone. 

A friend suggested this forum for guidance.

Main question is how do I find out which CLEPS will transfer into a college? I can see the degree program from a college and I can also pull up their transfer database....but how do I know what they really will accept? I have tried calling admissions counselors but they push me to get him enrolled and we're not at the point yet. It's kinda like that information is privy only if you're promising to send your kid there. I, on the other hand, want that info before making that decision so we can make a wise decision of where to attend (looking to do as much online as possible). 
He only needs 4-6 more HS credits and I want to make the best use of his time by choosing the best CLEP/DSSTs that will benefit him on the college level. We don't want to have him studying for CLEP/DSSTs that are going to be worthless when it comes to transferring.
Nor do I want a bunch of excess credits cluttering up his HS transcript. Plus, he'd like to graduate in December of this year if possible.

Question #2
We are considering Liberty University to transfer in to. His CORE classes for the graphics design degree would entail 73 credit hours in "ARTS" (design, illustrating, imaging etc). 
Is there somewhere else we should be looking that he can take these kinds of classes and then transfer in to the university to finish up (likely the 300/400 classes)? Where would I find such classes and know they are transferable? I do know that this particular college, LU, wants 30 core credits taken through them in order to give him their degree (which is very understandable).

Wow, if you have read all that and are still with me, bless you!

I appreciate you sharing whatever knowledge you have with me. Thanks much!

[mysonx3]

Finding out what CLEPs a school will accept is tricky, and often downright impossible. The best thing I've found to do is to do a Google site search for the word "CLEP" on a school's website. So, for Liberty, you'd type in "CLEP site:liberty.edu". Doing that, I found this link, which should be helpful for you:

http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=30373

[hsfamfun]

Liberty University is very friendly to alternate credit, however, that specific degree is very concentrated with classes that are extremely hard to find.  You may be able to find Art History 1 and perhaps even Art History 2, but I really do doubt that you can find many of those classes at a cheaper school or course provider to transfer in.

That said: Have you considered having him do Dual Enrollment through Liberty?  Their Dual Enrollment tuition is $549 per class and there are several of the classes that he would need for that major are offered.  You can see the list here:https://www.liberty.edu/online-academy/dual-enrollment-courses/  

Have you discovered the book "Homeschooling for College Credit" second edition by Jennifer Cook Derosa, who is a member of this board?  It is a very good book with lots of guidance and I think Liberty is mentioned specifically.  There is also a Homeschooling for College Credit Website,  Facebook Page and state specific facebook groups.  Since you are not living in a specific state, you could either choose your home state or even Virginia, since that is where Liberty is located and they might it might be discussed there more often.  The website can be found here: https://homeschoolingforcollegecredit.com/

My 20 year old son is on an unhurried course to earn a degree and has considered Liberty, so I have spent some time looking at their degree plans, but I really can't help much with that specific degree.  Good Luck!

[natshar]

http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=37835

Note that they require the optional essays for some of the literature exams.

[cookderosa]

Liberty University is very friendly to alternate credit, however, that specific degree is very concentrated with classes that are extremely hard to find.  You may be able to find Art History 1 and perhaps even Art History 2, but I really do doubt that you can find many of those classes at a cheaper school or course provider to transfer in.

That said: Have you considered having him do Dual Enrollment through Liberty?  Their Dual Enrollment tuition is $549 per class and there are several of the classes that he would need for that major are offered.  You can see the list here:https://www.liberty.edu/online-academy/dual-enrollment-courses/  

Have you discovered the book "Homeschooling for College Credit" second edition by Jennifer Cook Derosa, who is a member of this board?  It is a very good book with lots of guidance and I think Liberty is mentioned specifically.  There is also a Homeschooling for College Credit Website,  Facebook Page and state specific facebook groups.  Since you are not living in a specific state, you could either choose your home state or even Virginia, since that is where Liberty is located and they might it might be discussed there more often.  The website can be found here: https://homeschoolingforcollegecredit.com/

My 20 year old son is on an unhurried course to earn a degree and has considered Liberty, so I have spent some time looking at their degree plans, but I really can't help much with that specific degree.  Good Luck!

Thanks for the mention.

Liberty is among the more CLEP-friendly colleges, and if you're looking at them, I don't think you'll have too much trouble lining up his CLEPs and gen eds. I have a basic AA degree plan for them on my website, which you could use to get you started. What College Plus did for you, you can do for yourself, it just takes a little time. Either way, I can help you get rolling and even direct you to a much more affordable private degree planner should you want that kind of help. (link in my sig)

PS though you can join any of my FB groups, you may find the military group to be helpful, I know of at least 1 other RV family in there. Also, if you have an official state of residency, their grad requirements would prevail, however, if you DON'T, and get to pick (like many military families) there are certainly advantages/disadvantages to some vs the others- might be worth discussing with members. I'll link you: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1147605731938928/

[Suzie]

We are officially residents of the state of Florida.

Thank you for the resources you all have suggested. I will be checking them out.

Jennifer. I've already downloaded your book to my kindle.

[cookderosa]

We are officially residents of the state of Florida.

Thank you for the resources you all have suggested. I will be checking them out.

Jennifer. I've already downloaded your book to my kindle.

Even still, that will give you a general understanding of how-to homeschool and earn college credit, which you probably understand well.

I think you're stuck on how to DIY degree plan? If so, this board will be a fantastic resource for you. Again, the colleges you're considering are all very transparent with their CLEP policies and how to match them to the degree requirements, making it totally doable.