Applying to college with ASU credit already done.

1. Apply as a first-year student, not a transfer

College courses taken while still in high school do not make a student a transfer applicant at any of the three Arizona universities. Students apply as first-years and are reviewed with their college credit in view.

• ASU: "If you are completing college courses while in high school, you are considered a first-year student and not a transfer student."
• University of Arizona: "Dual enrollment college credits achieved while in high school do not consider you a transfer student." Applicants are considered "a first-year student with college-related credit."
• NAU: students who are "dual-enrolled but have not yet graduated from high school" apply as first-year students.

Sources: ASU Admission, transfer · UA admissions FAQ · UA FAQ, dual enrollment · NAU FAQ

2. Where ASU credit goes on the Common App

Common App asks students to list every college that has granted or will grant them credit, including courses taken outside the high school.

• Education → Colleges & Universities: list Arizona State University. Common App's guidance: use this section "to list all colleges that have or will grant you college credit, including dual enrollment courses and any college course taken independent of the high school." Up to three colleges can be listed.
• Courses & Grades: only courses that appear on the high school transcript go here. If the ASU course earns no high school credit, it does not belong in Courses & Grades.
• If the high school does give credit (a homeschool transcript that counts the course, for example), it also goes in Current or Most Recent Year Courses, listed under the high school's name.
• Writing → Additional Information: optional, but a good place for one line per course: code, title, credits, term and final grade. Common App does not ask for the course list elsewhere.

Source: Common App, Academic Record Reporting (Nov 2025). Colleges that use their own applications (ASU's, for example) ask the same questions in their own words.

3. The official ASU transcript

A course appears on an official ASU transcript only after the family pays ASU's $400 fee to add it, and ASU says that can take up to 14 business days.

• To order: sign in to My ASU, then My Classes → Grades & Transcripts → Transcripts & Test Scores.
• Cost: $15 per official copy, plus sales tax. Electronic copies go through Parchment; ASU does not email or fax transcripts.
• University of Arizona: college credit must arrive on its own college transcript. UA's FAQ: "Dual enrollment classes listed on the high school transcript will not be considered for college credit." Transcripts come through a secure service such as Parchment, and processing can take 2 to 4 weeks.
• Every other college: ASU's own advice is to "consult with your institution of choice to determine how these credits will be applied" before relying on them. Each college decides.

Sources: ASU Registrar, transcripts · ASU's online course FAQ · ASU transfer credits · UA admissions FAQ

The timeline

1. Junior spring
   Settle the record.Decide, course by course, which finished courses to add to the ASU transcript. Every grade added is permanent, and colleges can ask for every college transcript, so this is the moment to be deliberate. Make the student's credit passport so the counselor has the whole picture.
2. Senior August
   Check each target college's rules.Look up how each one treats ASU credit: a published course equivalent, elective credit, placement only, or nothing. For UA and NAU the published rulings are already in the passport.
3. Fall applications
   List ASU under Colleges & Universities.Add the course lines in Additional Information. Use the same course codes and grades the ASU transcript shows. (UA's Early Action deadline is November 1.)
4. If a college asks
   Send the official ASU transcript.Some colleges want it at application, others at enrollment. Order it from My ASU through Parchment; give it a few weeks to process at the other end.
5. After senior grades
   Send the final transcript to the college the student will attend.Include any ASU course finished senior year once its credit has posted. NAU wants final high school transcripts by July 1 for fall.
6. Before orientation
   Confirm the credit landed.Check the new college's transfer evaluation or degree audit. If a course came in as elective credit and you expected an equivalent, ask the advisor before registering for classes.

Sources: UA admissions FAQ · NAU post-acceptance steps

Caveat families

Spotter, the family app, keeps this checklist for each student, next to the credit passport and the published rulings. In the senior fall, the Wednesday call covers it line by line.