How Do Colleges Really Feel About Taking Online High School Classes?

When I began my career in college admissions in the late 1990s, it was rare for a student not to attend a bricks and mortar high school.

Granted, there were no online high schools back then. Alternate options were quite limited and carried a stigma among college admissions committees. For instance, it took a lot for a homeschooled student to get admitted to a selective college.

Nowadays, there are a lot of different types of high schools. Magnet high schools, charter high schools, and online high schools are common. The student's choice is not questioned like it was once. In fact, online high school attendance is more popular than ever before.

Most students use online high schools as a solution to not being able to take a class at their "home" high school. Scheduling conflicts are common these days. For a student that needs a critical class at a certain point in high school, taking an online class can be an easy way to fill that void.

For example, let's say your Spanish 3 class junior year is being offered at the same time as Precalculus. A student could seek out an online class in Spanish in order to ensure they don't stop or take a break from their language sequence. Other times, a student may find that a critical class is not offered at their home high school. A history-loving student who attends a small high school with limited course offerings might seek out an online AP US History class because of how much they want to take it and how valued this class is to colleges.

RELATED READING: 5 High School Classes Highly Selective Colleges Expect You to Take

Keep in mind that if a student takes a high school class outside of their home high school (or transfers high schools), they must provide an explanation in the application. It is a straightforward opportunity to provide the reason for this choice. Students have 250 words, but it can often be written in a lot fewer. When the student takes an online class to avoid a difficult teacher at their home high school, that can be a lot harder to explain!

If you are considering taking an online high school class, consider a few things:

Does your home high school permit this?
How much does it cost? Some online classes are thousands of dollars each.
Is the class well-suited to be taught online? For example, taking AP Biology online is not nearly as interactive as taking it in-person.
Does it fit with your schedule?

If your high school does not list outside high school classes on the transcript, don't be worried. You can request a transcript from the online high school to be sent to colleges on your own. Other times, if permitted, you can self-report the class and grade on your application for the admissions process (and send an official transcript after you are admitted and decide to enroll at a college).

There are some students who choose a completely online high school experience—not just a one-off class here or there, but a fully online high school experience. This was fairly common during the pandemic and is still an option for any student who wants it. An online high school can provide more flexibility to a student who has outside commitments that are time-intensive like training, travel, and competitions for a nationally-ranked athlete. But there are plenty of students who choose a fully online high school for a variety of reasons from mental health, to family obligations, to personal reasons. You don't need to explain your reason unless you transferred into one or transferred out of one.