Reply #8: It is called distance learning today, many colleges, most have options for it and several have

[jp11]

entire programs available online, they don't need to do it themselves. I'd guess the reason they are denying her is some legal issue where they may fear liability from other students.


...the college looks at a broad array of qualifications besides high test scores before accepting students, including those applying for dual-enrollment.

In recent years, Scott said, Lake-Sumter college has seen an increasing number of young applicants, including some as young as 8 or 9 years old. That led the college's board of trustees in April to enact a minimum-age requirement of 15. Annie's parents hope to trump the new age requirement and are awaiting a decision by a federal Department of Education investigator. An attempt at mediation in March ended in a stalemate.

Florida does not have a minimum-age requirement for students entering community colleges. However, each college's board of trustees can basically set its own rules regarding admission standards.

John Boshoven, a member of the board of directors for the National Association for College Admission Counseling in Arlington, Va., and a counselor for continuing education at Community High School in Ann Arbor, Mich., said colleges will look at young applicants with a much more critical eye, usually because of liability.

"The primary issue most often is safety. Anything that happens to this kid, the parents can sue us for being negligent," Boshoven said. "There are also social problems. She's very young, and what kind of friends will she make at the college? This is a kid with a 21-year-old's brain."