Is Penn Foster High School Diploma Accredited?

[nurselu]

I am asking this on behalf of a friend of mine who is considering enrolling at Penn Foster for her high school diploma.

Is it an accredited program?

Which colleges will accept it?

Does TESC, EC and Charter Oak accept the diploma?

Thanks everyone.

[dfrecore]

It is regionally and nationally accredited.

And all college will accept it, all colleges will accept just about any diploma or GED. I homeschool my kids and can create my own diploma and that's all they'll need to graduate from HS.

And, I don't think you need to be a HS grad to take courses at college. Our local CC's for sure don't require it.

[nurselu]

It is regionally and nationally accredited.

And all college will accept it, all colleges will accept just about any diploma or GED. I homeschool my kids and can create my own diploma and that's all they'll need to graduate from HS.

And, I don't think you need to be a HS grad to take courses at college. Our local CC's for sure don't require it.

Thanks so much. Will let her know. So there is no point of taking even GED Test? She did not graduate high school here in the US.

[dfrecore]

I would just have her call them, this forum won't have a lot of experts in this matter as we're all going for our college degrees. Much easier to call and find out directly from them, and find out how much it would cost and how long it would take to get her diploma. I'm sure they'll tell her why getting a diploma is better than a GED. Then have her contact her local adult school and see what it would cost and how much work/time it would take for her to get her GED. They will tell her if the info she received is correct.

Have her navigate through the PF website as well. I just read that online diplomas may affect your ability to receive state financial aid for college.

She just needs to do a little research.

[dmjacobsen]

My sister went through PF's program after dropping out of her local high school. She actually graduated from PF a year earlier than she would have graduated from traditional high school. She has gone on to complete an LPN program at a university local to her (Indiana) and is working toward her BSN prereq's at the same university. She never had any issues with her PF degree as far as financial aid, but YMMV.

I would caution against skipping the high school diploma or GED. You never know what's going to happen. The college path might not pan out, or it may take longer than expected. Although a high school diploma or GED isn't much these days, it's going to be very difficult finding decent work without one of the two, excepting skilled labor jobs. High school dropouts make an average of about $21k a year versus a average of about $28k for high school grads (Source: Wages | State of Working America).

I'm not for or against PF one way or the other. However, I would encourage your friend to at least get a GED. It will, at a minimum, show some sort of commitment to education.

[cookderosa]

If your friend is an adult, her community college will offer classes and prep for her GED for free.

If her intent is to enroll in college, the GED will be her first step, and then onto proper placement.

If your friend is a teen, a GED is one option, but so is being homeschooled. I can help you locate the laws for that state, and in that case, the HOMESCHOOL diploma is real. Buying a product from Penn Foster may be unnecessary depending on the rules of your state.

[Old Guy]

Isn't a high school diploma (or GED) a very common or even an absolute requirement to enter or graduate from a college? I don't recall seeing a college without a high school requirement but it could just be me.

[nurselu]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

[cookderosa]

Isn't a high school diploma (or GED) a very common or even an absolute requirement to enter or graduate from a college? I don't recall seeing a college without a high school requirement but it could just be me.

Yes for sure. The exception is when you're enrolling as a high school student. (That's called dual enrollment/dual credit/early college/etc. a number of names that all mean the same thing)

There are also other options, like summer school programs or extension programs like Harvard offers, but these won't lead to a degree without first enrolling as a degree seeking student (so, classes yes, degrees no)

Occasionally there are certificate/diploma programs that are offered through a college but are trade-options and are usually just asking you meet certain age criteria and or whatever else is required during the course. In those cases, it's theoretically possible to earn a diploma/certificate/license without a GED/diploma. Examples of these would include anything through an "adult education" or "continuing education" branch of the college.

[dfrecore]

Isn't a high school diploma (or GED) a very common or even an absolute requirement to enter or graduate from a college? I don't recall seeing a college without a high school requirement but it could just be me.

In CA at least, you do NOT need to have a HS diploma to enroll in or graduate from college. You either need to be 1) 18+ years old; 2) have a HS diploma or GED; OR 3) be a HS student (dual enrollment). The cc's specifically ask if you graduated from high school, but then say "if you did not graduate, list the last year you attended." The CSU and UC colleges say that you can transfer if you have 60 semester units from a college, with no mention of high school graduation.

Most of the career programs at my local CC require a HS diploma/GED OR 2-year degree (electrician, nursing, etc.) A few say diploma/GED, but then don't require any college courses to enter (dental assisting).

Regarding whether you should get your GED versus a Diploma, that is a whole other question. Proponents of GED's say they're fine, proponents of diplomas say GED's are a stigma and you shouldn't get one (although NOT having either is probably MORE of a stigma).