Early Graduates

An early high school graduate is a student who has completed all his or her high school graduation course requirements ahead of the regular June schedule for seniors in a four-year high school program. An early post-secondary graduate is a student who has completed all the necessary course credits of a degree or diploma in advance of the traditional four-year time frame. An increasing number of students [Page 215]are designing their learning programs to graduate early. Their motivations to graduate early are varied, and include reasons of finances, interest, and eagerness to enter the job market. Early graduation comes with both benefits and drawbacks for students and for the institutions from which they leave early. Early high school graduation programs are specifically designed to minimize ...