English Composition 2
Self-paced online English Composition 2 course (ENG 102). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →ArkansasHomeschool
Concurrent credit vs online college-level courses for Arkansas homeschoolers
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
Both routes can be paid from an Arkansas EFA while your student is in high school. Concurrent credit is taught by an Arkansas college or through your district and lands straight on a college transcript. Online college-level courses are self-paced and carry ACE or NCCRS recommendations; the credit reaches a college via a partner college transcript.
What the EFA rule says about each
The department's EFA rule lists fees for courses and associated assessments for college credit as a qualifying expense. It adds that a student who takes a concurrent course in their resident school district should not be charged for it unless the district also charges its own public school students. The Family Handbook lists dual-credit coursework during high school as qualifying, and college costs after high school as not.
So the EFA can cover either route. The differences are in schedule, cost and where the credit ends up.
Side by side
A quick comparison of the two routes for a homeschool junior or senior.
- Who teaches: concurrent credit is taught by a college or through the district; online courses are self-paced at home.
- Schedule: concurrent courses follow a term calendar; online courses start and finish when your student is ready.
- Where the credit lands: concurrent credit goes straight onto that college's transcript; online credit needs a partner college to place it on its transcript.
- What a college sees: a college transcript in both cases, once the partner step is done for online courses.
- Cost: concurrent tuition varies by college and district; UPI Study is $250 once per family for every course.
When concurrent credit is the better fit
If your student wants a set schedule, live teaching, a lab on campus or credit that sits on an Arkansas college transcript from day one, concurrent credit is the stronger route. It is also the natural choice if your student plans to finish a degree at the same college.
Check with the college or district about admission rules for homeschool students, any placement scores and the term dates before you plan the year.
When online college-level courses fit better
Self-paced courses suit students who study unevenly, travel, work, or want to finish a course in weeks rather than a full term. They also suit families who want many courses on one plan. UPI Study is an approved vendor for the Arkansas EFA, with courses such as English Composition, College Algebra, US History and Principles of Statistics.
The extra step is the transcript. TESU and UoPeople are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit, and once a partner places it on its transcript, your student can send that transcript to the college they apply to.
Many families use both
A common plan is concurrent credit for a lab science or a course tied to a local degree, and self-paced courses for general education such as writing, maths, history and psychology. Whatever the mix, ask the college your student hopes to attend, in writing, how it would treat each kind of credit before you commit the year's EFA budget.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Ask the college your student plans to attend in writing whether it would consider each course via a partner college transcript, and ask ADE in writing if you are unsure whether a purchase qualifies.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Questions people ask
Can EFA funds pay for concurrent credit in Arkansas?
Yes, while your student is in high school. The EFA rule lists fees for courses and assessments for college credit, and the handbook includes dual-credit coursework. If the course is in your resident district, the district should not charge for it unless it charges its own public school students too.
Which looks better to a college, concurrent or online credit?
Each college decides. Concurrent credit arrives on an Arkansas college transcript. Online ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit arrives via a partner college transcript such as TESU or UoPeople. Ask the college your student hopes to attend in writing how it would treat each.
Can my student do both in the same year?
Yes. Many homeschool families combine concurrent credit for a lab science with self-paced online courses for writing, maths and history. Plan the year's EFA budget across both, keep invoices and records for each, and put every finished course on the homeschool transcript.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
US History 2
Self-paced online US History 2 course (HIST 102). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
College Algebra
Self-paced online College Algebra course (Math 111). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
How to pay UPI Study through ClassWallet, step by step.
Sources
- DESE Rule Governing the Educational Freedom Account Program (effective 10 Aug 2024) (official)Programme established under Arkansas Code 6-18-2501 et seq.; 2.16.11 fees for courses and associated assessments for college credit are a qualifying expense; 5.06 award equals 90% of prior-year foundation funding; 7.04 service providers apply on a rolling basis. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Arkansas EFA Family Handbook 2026-2027 (Version 1.0, September 2026), linked from the ADE EFA page (official)About $7,200 per student in 2026-27; quarterly example $7,208 a year = $1,802 a quarter; deposits Aug 2026, Oct 2026, Feb 2027, Apr 2027; 1.85% ClassWallet fee reserved before funds show; unused funds roll over; dual-credit coursework during high school is a qualifying expense; homeschool families file a Notice of Intent and arrange annual testing. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Arkansas Department of Education: Education Freedom Accounts (official)The 2026-2027 programme, ClassWallet login, family handbook, participating service providers list and application for new EFA service providers and vendors. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.