Is it possible to get a head start on earning your college degree? It may surprise you to find out that the answer is yes—and getting “extra credit” may be a lot easier than you think.
As a matter of fact, there are plenty of ways to earn college credit before you officially begin pursuing a degree. Here are a few of them.
Get a Running Start on College Credits in High School.
You can earn college credits for free while you’re still attending high school, thanks to the Running Start program at Baker College.
Running Start combines four different ways for high school students to earn college credit, all under one umbrella. Opportunities offered through Running Start include:
- Early/middle college enrollment: This five-year program enables you to earn up to 60 hours of college credit while you complete your high school diploma.
- Concurrent enrollment and direct credit: This path provides opportunities for you to take Baker College courses at a high school, technical center or some other site besides a Baker College campus. The coursework you complete via our concurrent enrollment and direct credit policy may count for high school or college credit, or both.
- Dual enrollment: This track allows you to complete courses through your high school and also enroll in college courses at a Baker College campus.
- Articulation: Our articulation policy makes it possible for you to turn the good grades you’ve earned in certain high school courses into college credits that can be applied toward your degree.
Bring Your Credits With You, if and When You Transfer.
But what if you’ve already got some college experience under your belt? Regardless of whether or not you’re currently enrolled in school, bringing your credits to Baker College is easy and hassle-free.
We understand the value of the hard work you’ve put in so far, and we’ll work with you to make sure you get the maximum amount of credit for the college courses you’ve completed to date.
Our Bridge to Bachelor’s program makes it possible for you to transfer up to 45 credit hours toward an associate degree and up to 90 credit hours toward a bachelor’s. You may even qualify for a transfer scholarship worth up to $9,000 per year.
Gain Credits for Valuable Work Experience and Training.
Even if you’ve never taken any college courses, you may still be able to qualify for experiential credit.
What is experiential credit? In short, it means you can get actual college credits for the relevant, real-world skills you’ve developed through activities like employment, volunteer work, military service and more.
Fortunately, Baker College has a very generous policy when it comes to evaluating experiential learning credits. You may be surprised to find out how many of your life experiences can be applied toward a college degree.
Get Hard-Earned College Credit for Work and Classroom Experience.
Whether you’re a high school student, attend a community college, or are a full-time member of the workforce, it’s never too early—or too late—to begin working toward your college degree.
Looking into all the ways that you can get credit before you even enroll will help you save on out-of-pocket expenses and graduate with your degree ahead of schedule.