Gifted Atlanta

Some gifted teens will outgrow the high-school curriculum well before their scheduled graduation date. If you have such a bright-minded kid, consider yourself lucky to live in Atlanta. The metro area is home to more than a dozen colleges and universities, offering a wide array of options for embarking on college coursework.

Most students who want to take college classes can do so through Georgia’s Dual Enrollment program. This program is open to students in grades 9-12. A dual enrollment student remains enrolled at their high school and takes one or more classes at a college or university. They earn both high-school credit and college credit for classes they complete. The state pays for tuition and books for approved dual enrollment courses, which means a student can earn college credits at little to no cost.

Other students may be ready to leave high school altogether and start college through early admission. Unlike students admitted under dual enrollment, early admission students are fully enrolled at a college or university. Bear in mind, early admission is a program run by individual colleges, not by the Georgia Department of Education, so taking this route could mean your child won’t receive a high-school diploma. Check with the guidance counselor at your child’s high school to find out. On the flip side, some colleges require that the student earn enough credit hours to receive their high-school diploma before they will grant early admission.

Early college options in the metro Atlanta area

The state of Georgia maintains a complete list of colleges and universities that participate in the dual enrollment program.

Below are metro Atlanta area schools that offer programs other than the state’s standard dual enrollment program. Be aware that for programs described as “joint enrollment,” students are responsible for all costs, and they may or may not earn credit toward their high school diploma for classes they complete. Joint enrollment has the advantage that students aren’t limited to taking classes approved by the state.

Agnes Scott College: Offers joint enrollment for high-school seniors. Offers reduced tuition rates for joint enrollment students.

Atlanta Metropolitan State University: Offers dual enrollment and joint enrollment for high-school juniors and seniors.

Clark Atlanta University: Has an early college program for students of Booker T. Washington High School.

Emory University: Offers joint enrollment for high-school seniors, limited to one class taken in the fall semester of the student’s senior year. Separately, Emory allows high-school juniors to apply for admission to the university, using the regular undergraduate admissions process. These “academically exceptional students” would enter Emory instead of attending their senior year at their high school.

Georgia State University: Offers dual enrollment and joint enrollment.

Kennesaw State University: Allows dual enrollment students to enroll in regular courses or honors courses.

Oglethorpe University: Offers dual enrollment and joint enrollment for high-school juniors and seniors.

Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD): Offers joint enrollment for high-school juniors and seniors. Students can take up to two courses per academic quarter. Joint enrollment classes are online only.

Spelman College: Offers joint enrollment for high-school seniors.

This page was reviewed on September 3, 2023. If you find errors in the links or the information presented, or if you would like to submit additional information for consideration, please send a message using the Contact page on this site. Thank you.