Dual Enrollment: A Comprehensive Guide for High School Students

Dual enrollment programs offer a unique opportunity for high school students to get a head start on their college careers. These programs allow students to simultaneously enroll in both high school and college, earning credit towards both their high school diploma and a college degree or certificate. This article provides a comprehensive overview of dual enrollment, exploring its benefits, requirements, costs, and potential challenges.

What is Dual Enrollment?

In the United States, dual enrollment (DE), also called concurrent enrollment, programs allow students to be enrolled in two separate, academically related institutions. Generally, it refers to high school students taking college or university courses. If students pass their college classes, they receive credit that may be applied toward their high school diploma and toward a college degree or certificate. Dual enrollment is taking college classes while you're still in high school. It's a bit like getting a sneak peek at college life.

Dual Enrollment vs. Dual Credit

Dual credit is a special type of dual enrollment. When you take these classes, you're hitting two birds with one stone - you get credit for both high school and college at the same time.

A Brief History of Dual Enrollment

Dual enrollment was first started in 1955 by the University of Connecticut under the direction of Provost Albert Waugh. It was his belief that the senior year in high school was not challenging enough for many students, resulting in student boredom and disinterest in learning - now called senioritis. In the mid-1990s a movement started to formalize a national accreditation body for concurrent and dual enrollment programs. In March 1997 the first national meeting of concurrent enrollment professionals was convened by Syracuse University at the American Association for Higher Education conference.

How Dual Enrollment Works

Dual enrollment works differently depending on your location. Each school district and state has its own rules and ways of doing things. Schools offer dual enrollment programs in different ways. Some are completed through your high school, others might partner with local community colleges, and some are even available online. Each of these options comes with different benefits and things to think about.

Concurrent Enrollment

A number of different models for dual enrollment programs exist, one of which is concurrent enrollment. Concurrent enrollment is defined as credit hours earned when a high school student is taking a college course for both high school and college credit, during the high school day, on the high school campus, taught by a qualified high school instructor. Many prominent universities started the movement of concurrent enrollment - UConn Early College Experience and Syracuse University Project Advance.

Models for Dual Enrollment

In the George Washington Early College Program (GWECP-AA), students at the School Without Walls Senior High School are enrolled at the George Washington University and take a full course-load at the university, along with other undergraduate students.

Benefits of Dual Enrollment

Dual enrollment can be a great way for you to get a jump-start on college. Dual enrollment courses offer a strategic approach to saving money on college and investing time in your education. By taking college-level classes in high school, you can accumulate credits without paying full price for a college course, potentially reducing the overall cost of your degree. In some cases, your high school or state may cover the expenses of these courses, alleviating financial pressure on you and your family. Enrolling in dual enrollment courses allows you to participate in classes beyond the standard high school curriculum, helping you to explore personal interests.

Accelerated College Completion: In some cases, the student may even be able to attain an Associate of Arts or equivalent degree shortly before or after their high school graduation.
Exposure to College Environment: Students were able to become more comfortable with being in a college setting and were more prepared for attending college once they graduated high school.
Learning the Hidden Curriculum: They also needed to learn study habits, how to ask professors for help, and other beneficial student practices, all of which contrast to high school experiences.
Independence and Freedom: Most students explained how they had much more freedom and often thought to themselves “I can do whatever I want.” These students then realized the consequences of doing whatever they felt like, and learned from their mistakes, and learned.
College Readiness: Teachers focused on how the increased difficulty of college courses prepared them for later. Counselors and teachers both noticed personal gains in students as well.

Potential Challenges and Considerations

Taking college-level courses through dual enrollment can be enriching, but it may also bring increased academic demands and a heavier workload. These college-level courses require more time and effort, which might make it tougher to balance with your extracurricular activities. It's important to consider whether you can manage this additional workload and how it could impact your other commitments.

Transferring Credits: When considering dual enrollment, it's important to remember that transferring these early-earned college credits to a university can vary based on the school's dual enrollment program policies.
Impact on High School GPA: Students often lamented how their grades in college classes would affect their overall high school transcript and quite often result in a lower GPA. They were worried how it would affect their acceptance rate in other colleges later on.
Financial Aid and College Eligibility: Poor grades in dual enrollment courses can hurt students’ chances of receiving financial aid as well as their eligibility to enroll in a four-year college or university.
Social Challenges: The students felt cast out as many college students would treat them differently and would even get remarks that made them felt threatened. The dual enrollment students reflect on their past actions might have warranted such treatment as Roger says, “we weren't very mature.”
Limited Support Systems: Students described that, once enrolled in dual enrollment, their high school counselors and other faculty seemed to work with the students less. They felt like they were no longer a part of the general group of the high school. In the college setting, where they were expected to know material from courses they may have not taken yet. The college tutoring sessions were held during times that the dual enrollment students could not make.
Equity Gaps: Although dual enrollment generally has a positive success rate in relation to college enrollment and completion, the results for low-income students and students of color displays a major difference. Looking at those success rates against the success rates of other students researchers found a gap ranging from 4 to 8 percent.

Dual Enrollment Requirements

Dual enrollment requirements vary from state to state. Colleges often measure if students are ready for the challenge of college-level classes through placement tests or standardized testing.

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Standardized Tests: Some programs ask for specific scores on tests like the ACT or SAT.
High School Grade Level: High school students must currently be in 11th or 12th grade, must demonstrate the academic ability in English and/or math indicating preparedness for college coursework, and be motivated to take college courses while still in high school.

How to Apply

Please complete the Advance at College application online. The College’s Advanced College Experience program (summer ACE) is open to those enrolled as rising 9-12th grade students. A student is no longer eligible to enroll as a dual enrollment student once they graduate high school.

Community College of Philadelphia Example:

Existing Students: If you previously applied to the Advance at College dual enrollment program, completed the FERPA form and satisfied placement, you do not need to re-apply.

Create a College account providing all required information. The academic program is not required, but if answered, choose non-matriculated.
Create a password and click “create account.”
Next, click “Start New Application” and complete the application in full.
The application has 5 sections. Click SAVE and CONTINUE at the bottom of each page. Your Social Security Number is required. If you do not have a social security number, please follow the instructions provided within the application.
- Personal: this section will be partially prepopulated with information you provided when you created your account. Complete any missing information.
- Demographics: Complete required information.
- Plans: choose Non-Matriculated as the Academic Program. Please note the status of your application and edit it if needed.
Complete and return the FERPA/Consent form. Have them sign it and forward it to advanceatcollege [at] ccp.edu (advanceatcollege[at]ccp[dot]edu).

Who Pays for Dual Enrollment?

It depends on the state. In some states, the program is funded by the state, the high school, or the college. Out of the fifty states in the United States, parents of students interested in the program are primarily responsible for the tuition cost in nine of those states. In Louisiana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon and Tennessee, the states themselves are responsible for student tuition payment and in other states like Florida, the school district is responsible for the student dual enrollment program tuition. States may choose to go into a contract with a secondary institution and may be reimbursed upon students' satisfactory grade achievement.

Cost Savings

In order to serve the community by expanding access to the Advance at College program, Community College of Philadelphia offers a significant reduction in tuition to eligible Philadelphia high school students. As an added incentive, the College waives fees for Advance at College students. Textbooks and instructional materials are not included.

What Courses to Take

When you're picking courses for dual enrollment, focusing on core subjects like English, math, and science is a smart move. These core courses are more widely accepted and match the general education requirements at many schools. The types of classes offered in dual enrollment can differ depending on where you are, but they usually cover a wide range of subjects.

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Madera Community College Dual Enrollment Program

Madera Community College only offers Dual Enrollment classes with High Schools and Districts that we currently have a partnership with. At Madera Community College we are dedicated to helping our local feeder high schools’ students prepare for and achieve college and career readiness through dual enrollment opportunities. The classes are taken with their high school classmates and are taught by their high school teachers who meet Madera Community College’s instructor qualifications.

Who Teaches Dual Enrollment Courses?

Typically, dual enrollment courses are taught by college instructors and can take place on a college campus, at your high school, or online.

How to Receive Credit

If students pass their college classes, they receive credit that may be applied toward their high school diploma and toward a college degree or certificate.

Requesting a Certified Grade Report

Students must request a certified grade report be sent to their high school. Students are required to submit a Grade Report Request.

Student Records and FERPA

Under Section 99.34(b), FERPA permits high schools and postsecondary institutions who have dually-enrolled students to share information. Students enrolled in both a high school and a postsecondary institution may share educational records without the consent of either the parents or the students under 99.34(b).

Course Length

Dual Enrollment in High School: If these classes are offered at your high school, they'll typically follow the same semester or academic year schedule as your other classes.
Dual Enrollment at College/University: When you take dual enrollment classes directly at a college or university (or online), they usually stick to the college's semester system.

Program Examples

Running Start or Expanded Options (Oregon): Running Start or Expanded Options (Oregon) programs allow students to take college classes at their local community college. One of the main differences between Running Start and a regular dual enrollment program is the cost. The Running Start program makes tuition rates lower for high school students.
Online Learning Platforms: There are some online learning platforms that allow high school students to take college classes fully online through their platform. These classes are typically asynchronous and a lower cost dual enrollment option.
Advance at College (Community College of Philadelphia): Earn College Credit While You’re Still in High School at No Cost with Early Scholars Program if you are a Philadelphia resident entering 11th or 12th grade or under the age of 21 and actively pursuing a GED or high school equivalency credential, you may be eligible to take college courses at Community College of Philadelphia and earn up to 12 credits a year free of charge. You will not pay for tuition, books or fees, and you can choose from a variety of courses. Early Scholars is made possible through the Octavius Catto Scholarship, a partnership with the City of Philadelphia.

College Partnerships

Colleges may create partnerships with schools that allow high school students to enroll in college classes or programs. Most universities have some degree of interdepartmental dual enrollment coordination. High schools might also have a partnerships with a group of colleges, such as Five Colleges (Massachusetts), Seven Sisters (Northeast), or Five Colleges of Ohio. That allows students to benefit from the collective knowledge of all universities and prevent them from duplicating unnecessary course offerings at each institution.

Support Services

Once you have been successfully registered into your class, you are considered a Madera Community College student. As such, you can access and use all the college’s student services just like any other college student.

Learning Center: Receive help with a variety of subjects, in-person or online, through our Learning Center. Students can schedule an appointment to meet with a tutor, drop-in for tutoring during their drop-in hours, submit a paper online or drop-it off in-person to receive written feedback, and more!
Library: Visit the Madera Community College library and you can get some help from a librarian. In addition to getting help with your research, you can also access the library’s research databases, chat with a librarian 24/7, checkout a graphing calculator, laptop, or hotspot, and more!
Disabled Students Programs & Services (DSP&S): DSP&S is designed to provide specialized services and accommodations that assist students with documented disabilities to reach their maximum potential while achieving their educational goals. The biggest difference between DSP&S services at the college level compared to at a high school is that the student must initiate the process at Madera Community College to determine if the student can receive any accommodations.
Maddie's Food Pantry: Maddie's Food pantry is a free food assistance program for all students currently enrolled at Madera Community College. You can stop by anytime to just pick up a snack or grab a variety of food items to take home. Fresh fruits, vegetables, canned and boxed food, personal care items, and more are available on a first-come, first-served basis and while supplies last. In addition, the food panty staff can assist with filling out Cal Fresh applications.

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