RainbowZombie

I'm in my senior year of high school and I'm working toward an associates degree which I will have earned when I graduate high school. But now that I'm looking into going to college it seems that having an associates degree severely hampers getting financial add. Is this so or am I misinformed?

mom2collegekids

Since you're getting it WHILE you're in high school, you still apply as an incoming frosh and get the FA benefits.

Don't apply as a transfer student.

I know it sounds confusing since you'll be entering as a junior, but since these classes are being taken WHILE in HS, most colleges will still let you consider yourself an incoming frosh for scholarship and FA purposes.

I have known several students from the state of Washingon who've done Running Start and get their AA's at the same time as they graduate from HS, they still apply a incoming frosh and get aid/merit as such.

Lots of incoming frosh enter college with soph/jr standing because of AP/IB/DE and CLEP credits. They still apply as incoming frosh as long as the credits were earned while in HS.

kelsmom

I have wondered about this, as there are an increasing number of "early college" programs in my area. I would not think that this should hurt a student, but it might. I would suggest contacting the admissions offices of colleges in which you are interested, explain that you are earning an AA while still enrolled in high school, and ask how that impacts your chances of getting scholarships and institutional grants. It will not hamper your chances of getting federal aid, of course.

JennyLeann

I also will get my A.A. degree before I graduate high school. I have never heard before that earning it will affect financial aid or scholarships in college. My high school counselor has told me to still apply as a freshman. Just because you receive your A.A. in high school doesn't mean that the college you go to will accept all of your courses either. I've learned that colleges will look at your A.A. transcript and only accept certain classes that are comparable to their own. This is mostly Ivy League and top schools that I have looked into that does this. I think that this is why my guidance counselor told me to apply as a freshman, you really don't know what the college you are applying to will accept from your A.A. until after admission.

mom2collegekids

^^^

I think the OP may have been researching based on being a "transfer student", so the info about aid was based on that.

The OP needs to apply as an incoming frosh. The credits earned will still apply and the student will still get junior standing.

lerkin

My state has this option, called PSEO, which allows high school students to take college courses while still in high school. They specifically tell students to apply as freshman for financial aid reasons.

RainbowZombie

Thank you all! Now I am no longer confused!