Colleges Offering Early Admission to High School Juniors

Typically, the term “early admission” refers to high school seniors who apply in the fall and receive a decision by the holidays rather than waiting until the regular round with a springtime notification. Yet, for the most precocious and ambitious high school students, some U.S. colleges allow juniors to apply with an eye toward beginning their college career at the commencement of their senior year. For example, the University of Southern California accepts a select group of 11th grade students each year into their Resident Honors Program—students then begin completing college coursework as seniors. Worcester Polytechnic Institute allows roughly 100 high school students per year to take college courses through its Massachusetts Academy of Math & Science. Clarkson University’s Early College Program affords accepted seniors with the opportunity to take a full freshman college credit load while completing 12th grade. In the following chart, College Transitions has compiled a comprehensive list of colleges and universities that will offer early admission to the most qualified and highly motivated high school juniors.