Leave School Early? No, Yes, Maybe

Can You Apply To High School At The End Of Your Junior Year Of High School?

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It should not come as a surprise that there is not a simple yes or no answer to this question. I will address several different scenarios which might help you.

1. Every year students who are a not insignificant number of juniors in high school apply to colleges and universities. Many of them have fulfilled the graduation requirements to receive a high school degree or have exhausted the top-level courses the school offers. But most of them have made this decision at the beginning of their junior year. If they are applying to the vast majority of college and universities, then these juniors will have to apply by the designated dates, which are typically Jan 1 or Jan 15.

If you plan to apply for selective universities as a junior, your chances are not good for acceptance (they are already low for all applicants), as your application will be compared to those who are in their senior year. It should come as no surprise that seniors more often than not will have more coursework at a higher level, such as AP and the full IB diploma courses, more depth and leadership in activities, more awards and honors, and stronger support from the school. (Students who leave early are not often encouraged by the school to do so unless they have exhausted the curriculum--which is rare--or it is due a disciplinary issue).

In addition, there is some hesitation on the part of schools to enroll students who have yet to reach the age of 18. It happens, but many educators and admission officers worry about students who are a year behind in experience and growth and, in some cases, social maturity. Any student hoping to compete to get accepted to a selective school while applying as a junior will need to use the space provided for supplemental information wisely in order to write a convincing statement about the decision to leave secondary school after junior year.

2. At the Moment:

If you are currently a junior in high school, then your choices are limited to schools that are still looking for students. Currently (5/14/18), there are over 500 colleges that are still accepting students.

You can search the list here:

You will need to find out from each one you are interested in if they will consider your application because you are only a junior. There is no national standard about this and each school can make its own choice about this. Since the schools are looking for students they will likely give you a chance to apply assuming you have the required testing (SAT or ACT) and courses completed (some schools require 4 years of high school English for example).

3. Dual Enrollment:

This option is one that a number of high schools and local colleges offer to students who are still in high school. One advantage of these programs is that students may receive their high school degree even though they are taking all their courses at a local college. Some universities require student to have a high school degree in order to apply. Dual Enrollment comes in many shapes in forms but here is the simple definition and the website you can go to in order to out all the details:

The term dual enrollment refers to students being enrolled—concurrently—in two distinct academic programs or educational institutions. The term is most prevalently used in reference to high school students taking college courses while they are still enrolled in a secondary school (i.e., a dual-enrollment student), or to the programs that allow high school students to take college-level courses (i.e., a dual-enrollment program). For this reason, the term early college is a common synonym for dual enrollment.

4. Community College as a stand alone:

If you in a community that does not offer a dual degree program, but you are nearby a community college you may choose to leave high school without a degree and enroll in courses. If you end up applying to 4-year schools as a transfer student either after your fist year or while you are in the process of earning an Associate’s Degree you will likely have to provide some sort of written explanation behind your decision not to finish high school. Schools want to know why a student would choose this option not just because they are naturally curious but because they are risk averse. If a student has left school because of disciplinary reasons (cheating can result in expulsion at some private high schools for example), then you will have to talk about it since schools do ask about suspensions on their applications. Even if you are doing well in community college not addressing the reasons why you chose to level high school will raise concerns on the part of the school, so it is better to provide this information up front.

5. Special Student or Part Time Student Status:

There are many reasons student s may choose to leave high school but will still be permitted to take courses at a local college. For example, if there are health issue you or a family member has that make it difficult to attend high school but will still permit you to take a course or two, many colleges will try to accommodate you. The same will likely hold true if the family is in financial trouble and the student needs to work in order to support the family. Taking courses part time under such circumstances is seen as a positive factor for any college or university.

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I have to admit I am not a fan of students who decide to apply to universities in the junior year unless they have a completing case. For example, if a transgender student has been the subject of bullying and discrimination and who wishes to escape this toxic environment by leaving the school early, then virtually any college or university would be sympathetic. 

On the other hand, to me at least, a less than compelling case would be if a student said they wish to leave because they have exhausted the course of study they wish to pursue in college. For example, a student who has completed AP BC Calculus and AP Stats may have no more mathematics options. Even if this is the case, the student still may have many other honors or AP classes in other subjects that are still available. More importantly, students often may be able to pursue independent study with a math teacher in the high school, or take one course at a nearby college, or do a MOOC (Massive Online Open Course) in higher level mathematics and earning a certificate. There are almost always options to supplement the high school curriculum in the core areas: Mathematics, English, Social, Laboratory Science, and Foreign Language. 

As is almost alway the case, the best course of action is to contact the colleges a student night have an interest in directly to ask them about their policy and ask if they have data on the number of students they have accepted as juniors over the course of the last five years.

This question was first posted on the website Quora.com