DUAL ENROLLMENT GUIDELINES
Enrollment
Students must be enrolled with Gateway for the school year in which they plan to do dual/joint enrollment. Be sure you include the specific high-school course titles, curriculum, and planned credit assignments for all subjects when completing the online enrollment applications.
Our new applications are available in the spring before each school year. We will begin accepting applications for the year in May for those needing early registration for fall dual enrollment.
We are usually able to send out recommendation letters and consent forms for dual/joint enrollment 7-10 business days after the student is enrolled for that year. Students not enrolled at Gateway for the school year in which they will be taking dual enrollment courses and not approved by Gateway for dual enrollment by the first day of college classes will not receive high-school credit for their dual-enrollment classes.
When applying for dual or joint enrollment, remember that you are dealing with two schools – the high school (Gateway) and the college. You must meet the requirements of both institutions in order to be eligible for dual/joint enrollment. All students who plan to take college classes for high school credit must be enrolled at Gateway and approved for dual enrollment in order to receive credit.
Grades
Current grades must be submitted to Gateway early enough to allow our Dual/Joint-Enrollment Department to review and post them on the transcript. Be sure Grade/Attendance Reports include the date each semester ended, the parent’s signature, and appropriate course titles, grades and credits. If the Dual/Joint-Enrollment Department encounters problems with the grade reports, they will contact the parent to discuss revisions. Please read carefully the teacher instructions on the back of the grade report as well as the high-school guidelines in order to record grades properly and avoid delays.
ACT/SAT Scores
Report ACT/SAT scores. Please mention recent ACT/SAT scores in your correspondence when applying for dual/joint enrollment so that we can ensure their inclusion. Keep in mind that some colleges require the student to have taken an ACT or SAT and to have an appropriate score in order to be accepted for dual enrollment. (Many colleges require an acceptable ACT/SAT on the pertinent subsection.) ACT scores of students who register with Gateway as their high school, when registering for the ACT, under "High School Information," search "Tennessee/Memphis" (not Zip) for "Gateway Christian Schools" rather than "home schooled." For SAT use our high school code: 431-421. If the student registers as "home schooled," the scores will not be sent to Gateway and the parent must arrange to have us receive the scores.
Complete your enrollment application with relevant dual enrollment information in the educational plan at least two weeks before you want Gateway to send information to the college. Be sure to include all necessary information with
the forms (enrollment paperwork; course descriptions; any required college forms, if applicable; ACT/SAT scores, etc.). Enroll online or by paper application.
Send Gateway a copy of the course description(s) from the college catalog for the planned college course(s). (Must be included with Gateway’s forms.) Gateway has a fee of $10.00 per dual/joint enrollment class. Please use Paypal or send a check or money order to offset the additional cost of dual/ joint enrollment paperwork.
Tennessee Dual-Enrollment Grant
If you desire to receive the Tennessee Dual-Enrollment Grant, awarded by the Tennessee Student Assistance Corporation (TSAC) with funds from the Tennessee lottery, you must complete the online form (www.CollegePaysTN.com). TSAC no longer accepts paper copies of the grant form.
Check with the college admissions counselor, website, or college catalog for more information regarding the paperwork and process required by the college. Some colleges have a required consent/recommendation form for their dual/joint enrollment programs.
Not all college courses have a high-school equivalent. A high-school credit can sometimes be earned by completing three to six college “credit hours.” Some college courses are beyond the scope of high school while others are too narrow to cover the full scope of a high-school course. College courses that are a close equivalent to a high-school course for which the student has already earned credit will not earn additional high-school credit. Some students may, however, take such courses for college credit only (joint enrollment). A Gateway counselor will determine whether college courses receive high-school credit.
Students must take a minimum of one core course at home to remain a part of the Gateway program. Students taking all of their courses at another institution will not be considered Gateway students. Gateway’s Home Education Program is generally intended for parents/guardians who are teaching their own children at home. We do, however, permit a portion of the student’s education by dual/joint enrollment. Gateway students must not take enough college classes to be considered full-time college students. Students who become full-time at another school (college or otherwise) would be considered withdrawn from Gateway’s program. Most colleges consider students to be full-time when they take 12 college credit hours per semester. Generally, students should avoid taking enough college classes to complete their freshman college year while registered at Gateway. Most colleges consider the freshman year complete when the student has earned 30 college credit hours. Students who complete the freshman college year before high-school graduation become ineligible for most college scholarships. Please note, also, that as soon as a student completes Gateway’s minimum requirements for graduation, he/she is considered to have graduated. Diplomas will be mailed approximately two weeks after we receive final grades.