English Composition 1
Self-paced online English Composition 1 course (ENG 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →TennesseeHomeschool
Dual Enrollment Grant for homeschoolers in Tennessee: how the course limit works
By the team. Checked 15 Nov 2026.
The short answer
The dual enrollment grant in Tennessee is a lottery-funded grant for high school students, including home school students, who take college courses at an eligible college. It funds a set number of courses, and TSAC sets that number and the grant per course each year. Ask TSAC and the college for this year's limits before you plan your teen's schedule.
Who can use it
Tennessee's Comptroller states that home school students are eligible for dual enrollment courses and for the state's Dual Enrollment Grant. The law that created the grant in 2005 asks that the student be a Tennessee resident for at least a year, be admitted to an eligible college as a dual enrollment student, and apply for the grant.
The college decides whether to admit your teen as a dual enrollment student, and it may set its own grade, test or GPA rules. Ask the college's dual enrollment office early.
How the course limit works
The grant has never paid for unlimited courses. It funds a set number, and TSAC decides how many and how much each year. The figures have changed several times: older guides list amounts and course counts that no longer apply. That is why this guide does not quote a number.
Before each school year, ask TSAC or the college's financial aid office three things and keep the answers.
- How many courses does the grant fund this year, and is that per year or in total?
- How much does it pay per course, and what is left for us to pay?
- Which grades qualify, and what must we send to show home school status?
Applying and renewing
The family applies for the grant, and the law that created it asks students to reapply each term they use it. Deadlines are set by TSAC, and colleges have their own dual enrollment deadlines, which can be earlier. Put both on your calendar.
Keep your home school paperwork ready. Independent families have the district registration; umbrella families can ask the umbrella school for a letter showing enrolment and grade level.
Planning past the limit
Once the funded courses are used, extra dual enrollment is paid by the family at the college's price. Some families keep going at the college; others add self-paced courses at home and record them on the homeschool transcript.
Compare options by price per course and by how the credit would reach the college your teen plans to attend. A dual enrollment course is already on a college transcript. Credit from ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses reaches a degree only via a college transcript, so ask that college in writing first.
| Option | Who pays | How college credit appears |
|---|---|---|
| Funded dual enrollment | The grant, up to the funded courses | On the college's transcript |
| Extra dual enrollment | The family, at the college's price | On the college's transcript |
| Self-paced recommended courses | The family | Only via a college transcript, if a college posts it |
Where UPI Study fits
UPI Study offers college-level courses such as English Composition 1 and 2, College Algebra, US History 1 and Introduction to Psychology. They are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended. We are not a college and not accredited, so any college credit comes only via a college transcript, and only counts if the college agrees. Partner colleges such as Thomas Edison State University, University of the People and Newlane University consider such credit. The homeschool lifetime plan is $250 once. The Dual Enrollment Grant does not pay for our courses; families use them before dual enrollment starts or alongside it.
What to ask in writing
Before you enrol
Before you enrol, ask TSAC and the college about the grant's current limits, and ask each college on your teen's list in writing whether it reviews ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit.
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
Is the Dual Enrollment Grant only for public school students?
No. Tennessee's Comptroller states that home school students are eligible for dual enrollment courses and for the grant. Check current grade rules and paperwork with TSAC and the college before you apply.
Can my homeschooler take dual enrollment courses online?
Many Tennessee colleges offer some dual enrollment courses online. Ask the college which ones are open to dual enrollment students and whether the grant covers them the same way as campus courses.
What happens if my teen fails a dual enrollment course?
The grade stays on the college transcript, and continuing with the grant can depend on keeping grades up. Ask TSAC about the current rule, and start with a course your teen is ready for.
Courses that fit
ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended courses, studied online at your own pace.
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 →
Introduction to Psychology
Self-paced online Introduction to Psychology course (Psychology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →Start when you have it in writing
Ask TSAC, your umbrella school if you use one, and the colleges on your list in writing first.
Sources
- Tennessee Comptroller, Office of Research and Education Accountability: Home Schooling in Tennessee (legislative brief, April 2018) (official)Home school students are eligible to enroll in dual enrollment courses and to receive the lottery-funded dual enrollment grant; two home school types (independent and church-related umbrella school); umbrella schools must belong to one of eight organizations in TCA 49-50-801(a); independent: Intent to Home School form and district registration, parent diploma or GED, parent keeps records and issues the diploma, 4 hours a day for 180 days, standardized tests in grades 5, 7 and 9; umbrella: school keeps records and issues the diploma, parent diploma or GED for grades 9-12, 180 days. Its 2018 grant amounts are out of date and are not used. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.
- Tennessee Public Chapter 481 (2005), Senate Bill 1315 (official)Defines the dual enrollment grant as a lottery-funded grant for students attending high school who are also enrolled in college courses for college credit at eligible postsecondary institutions; eligibility includes Tennessee residency for one year, admission as a dual enrollment student and an application; the per-credit-hour amount is set by TSAC. Checked on 15 Nov 2026.