Many families worry about affording college. They fear that with rising costs and impacted course offerings that their children are going to be stuck in debt (forced to take student loans) and will take longer to obtain a Bachelor’s degree. One unique solution I came across is called 13th grade.

Some high schools are offering what is now referred to as 13th Grade. This extra year of high school is integrated with college. Essentially the high schoolers enrolled in this type of school take college courses throughout high school and with their 5th years they take all college courses. It allows students to graduate with significant college credit (and Associate’s Degree, in some cases), and enables them to get free college. It’s pretty incredible.

The other benefit of 13th Grade is transition. These students have already been on a college campus. They have already taken college-level courses and succeeded in them. By the time their transition to a 4-year university occurs they are ready. They know what it feels like to be on a college campus, and they know how to manage their time to complete work. It isn’t a difficult feat to become acclimated.

I know this won’t be an easy sell to some high schoolers who want to partake in the traditional road to college, but for those families looking for college affordability and transition services, this is a great program.

Check out the article in US News and World Report about 13th Grade.

As always, if you want to talk to a trained expert on your college plans and financial aid goals, call us (661) 295-9946. We offer a free College Planning Analysis to our Blog readers to get you college ready. We can get your child admitted and save you thousands on college costs.