NH Homeschool Dual Enrollment and Running Start: How It Works

Taking college courses while still technically in high school is one of the most practical moves an NH homeschool family can make. Your student earns real college credit, builds an official transcript from an accredited institution, demonstrates academic ability to four-year admissions offices, and — if you use the right programs — pays almost nothing for it.

New Hampshire has two main pathways for this: Early College and Running Start. Both operate through the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH). Here is how each works, what it costs, and what homeschoolers specifically need to do to enroll.

Early College vs. Running Start: What Is the Difference?

Both programs let high school students take community college courses for simultaneous high school and college credit. The difference is primarily in eligibility timing and structure.

Early College is open to high school juniors and seniors (typically students in 11th and 12th grade). Students enroll in standard CCSNH courses alongside adult and traditional college students. These are full college courses — not watered-down dual enrollment sections — and the credits earned are fully transferable to four-year institutions in New Hampshire and most other states.

Running Start is a more structured version of the same concept, targeted at high school students who want to take a significant portion of their coursework at a community college. Running Start students typically take multiple courses per semester at the college rather than a single elective-style dual enrollment course. Some students effectively complete their junior and senior years at a CCSNH campus rather than through their home education program.

For homeschoolers, the distinction between these labels is less important than the practical outcome: both result in college credits on an official CCSNH transcript that carry full weight with admissions offices.

CCSNH Campuses and Which Homeschoolers They Serve

The Community College System of New Hampshire includes seven campuses:

• NHTI — Concord's Community College (Concord): The flagship CCSNH campus, largest course selection, most popular for homeschoolers in the Manchester-Concord corridor
• Manchester Community College (Manchester): Strong technical and liberal arts options
• Nashua Community College (Nashua): Serves the southern tier
• River Valley Community College (Claremont): Upper Valley and Sullivan County
• Lakes Region Community College (Laconia): Central NH
• White Mountains Community College (Berlin): North Country
• Great Bay Community College (Portsmouth/Rochester): Seacoast region

NHTI has historically had the highest volume of homeschool dual enrollment participants. If you are searching for "NHTI homeschool dual enrollment" specifically, NHTI processes these registrations routinely and its admissions staff are familiar with the documentation homeschoolers need to provide.

Eligibility Requirements for Homeschoolers

To enroll in CCSNH Early College or Running Start as a homeschooler, you need to demonstrate that you are a high school student in good standing. For homeschoolers, this means:

1. Proof of active home education program. A letter from you as the home education program administrator, on your home school's letterhead (or on plain paper with your name and contact information), stating that the student is currently enrolled in a home education program under RSA 193-A and is in their sophomore, junior, or senior year of high school.

2. A homeschool transcript or portfolio summary. CCSNH uses this for placement purposes. They want to see what courses the student has completed to determine appropriate placement in college-level courses. This does not need to be a finalized official transcript — a current-year version is fine.

3. Placement test scores. Most CCSNH campuses require the Accuplacer or a similar placement assessment for math and English. Homeschool students take this at the campus before enrolling. Results determine which college courses you can enter directly versus which require developmental prerequisites.

4. Registration via DualEnroll.com. NH uses the DualEnroll.com platform to manage high school student enrollment in dual enrollment programs. Homeschoolers create a student account, select courses, and complete the digital consent process. The platform asks for a high school code — for homeschoolers, there is typically a separate entry process or a generic code for homeschool students; the CCSNH campus admissions office will walk you through this.

What It Costs

This is where things get genuinely attractive for NH homeschool families.

Standard Early College tuition: Approximately $150 per 3-credit course. This is significantly discounted from the standard community college tuition rate.

Running Start scholarship: Needs-based financial aid can reduce the per-course cost to $75 for eligible students.

The Governor's STEM Scholarship: This is the most valuable program for eligible students. The Governor's Scholarship for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics allows high school students to take up to two free STEM dual enrollment courses per academic year. The scholarship covers tuition and fees entirely. Eligible courses include subjects in math, science, technology, engineering, and computer science across the CCSNH system.

To qualify for the Governor's STEM Scholarship, the student must be a New Hampshire resident, currently enrolled in a qualifying secondary education program (which includes home education under RSA 193-A), and must apply through their CCSNH campus. The scholarship is awarded each academic year and requires a separate application — it is not automatic.

The practical math: a homeschool junior who takes two free STEM courses per year through the Governor's Scholarship and pays the reduced Running Start rate for two additional humanities courses spends approximately $300 per year on college credits. That is four 3-credit college courses — 12 college credits — for $300, which directly reduces the time and cost of a four-year degree.

What Credits Count For

College credits earned through CCSNH Early College and Running Start are official college credits on an official CCSNH transcript. They transfer to:

• All seven CCSNH campuses (automatically)
• University of New Hampshire, Keene State, Plymouth State, and Granite State (with full transferability for general education requirements in most cases)
• Most public and private universities in New Hampshire and throughout New England
• Out-of-state universities (transferability varies; check the receiving institution's transfer credit policy)

AP courses do not automatically produce college credit — students must pass the AP exam and the receiving college must accept that score. Dual enrollment courses produce actual college credits regardless of any exam, which is one reason many NH homeschool families prefer the dual enrollment route.

How These Credits Appear on Your Records

Dual enrollment credits appear in two places:

1. Your CCSNH official transcript. This is an official college transcript issued by the institution. Your student can request an official copy to send directly to any four-year college or university they apply to. This transcript carries full weight as an independent third-party academic record.

2. Your homeschool high school transcript. You list the dual enrollment course with a notation — for example: "Calculus I (NHTI, dual enrollment) — 1 credit, A." List it in the appropriate academic year. Note that the official grade verification comes from the CCSNH transcript, not from you as the parent-issuer.

The CCSNH transcript is the more authoritative document for college admissions purposes. Admissions officers at UNH, Keene State, and Plymouth State specifically look for it alongside the homeschool transcript because it provides an independent grade from a graded course.

Practical Notes for Getting Started

Start in junior year, not senior year. It takes one semester to establish placement, find the right courses, and get comfortable with college-level expectations. Students who begin dual enrollment in 11th grade have four to six semesters of potential credits; students who begin in 12th grade have one or two.

Choose courses strategically. General education requirements — English Composition, College Math, Intro to Psychology, History, Lab Science — transfer most reliably. Technical courses transfer well within CCSNH but may not transfer to a four-year program outside the NH system. Focus dual enrollment credits on general education and any prerequisites for your student's intended major.

Keep your homeschool portfolio documentation current. When you enroll in dual enrollment programs, the home education program does not stop — it continues alongside the college coursework. Your RSA 193-A obligations (annual evaluation, two-year portfolio retention) still apply. Dual enrollment course completion counts as evidence of educational progress and can be included in your annual portfolio evaluation.

Apply for the Governor's STEM Scholarship early. The scholarship has a limited pool and is awarded on a rolling basis. Applications typically open in spring for the following academic year. Missing the window means paying out of pocket even if your student qualifies.

If you want to build the documentation foundation — the transcript, subject summaries, and reading log — that CCSNH enrollment requires, the New Hampshire Portfolio & Assessment Templates provides the NH-specific templates your student needs to demonstrate high school standing and support their dual enrollment application.

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