What It Means
Dual enrollment means a high school student takes a college course and earns college credit for it while still in high school. NCES counts courses taken at 2-year and 4-year colleges, both inside formal dual enrollment programs and outside them, and some programs teach the college course on the high school campus with a high school teacher. Whether the course also counts toward high school graduation, and who pays for it, depends on the school, the college and the state.
Try It: Count the College Credits Dual Enrollment Could Add Up To
Example numbers. Slide to the courses a semester, then set credits and semesters to match the program.
Credits only help if the college your child attends later accepts them. Ask before enrolling.
How Parents Say It
- "She's taking English 101 at the community college through dual enrollment."
- "Does dual enrollment count for high school credit too?"
- "He'll start college with 15 credits already."
The Breakdown
Formula
College credits earned = courses per semester × credits per course × semesters.
Worked example (example numbers). A junior takes one 3-credit college course each semester for junior and senior year:
| Item | Number |
|---|---|
| Courses a semester | 1 |
| Credits per course | 3 |
| Semesters | 4 |
| College credits | 12 |
If the degree she's aiming at needs 60 credits (check the college's own number), 12 credits is 20% of it, as long as that college accepts them.
What the result means. The credits help only if the next college accepts them. Ask the colleges your child might attend how they treat dual enrollment credit, and keep the syllabus and transcript for each course.
How common it is. NCES's survey of colleges found about 1,277,100 high school students took courses for college credit within a dual enrollment program in the 2010-11 school year, and 46 percent of colleges reported such students. Newer national figures weren't pinned to one official table in this check.
Good to Know
Ask the high school counselor five things before signing up: who pays tuition and books, whether the course counts toward high school graduation, how the high school weights it in the GPA, whether the grade also goes on a college transcript, and which colleges have accepted the credit before. Rules on eligibility and cost are set by your state, the school district and the college.
FAQ
What is dual enrollment in high school?
Taking a college course while in high school and earning college credit for it. It can happen at the college or on the high school campus with a high school teacher, depending on the program.
Is dual enrollment better than AP?
They earn credit differently. An AP classAP classA high school course in the College Board's Advanced Placement program that ends in an AP Exam, where a high enough score can earn college credit or placement. See more leads to an exam and the college decides credit from the score, while a dual enrollment course earns college credit from passing the course itself; which works better depends on the colleges your child is considering.
Does dual enrollment cost money?
It depends on your state, district and the college. Ask the high school counselor who pays tuition, fees and books before your child enrolls.
Do It in Buhata
Calendar, Tasks, Reminders
Put the dual enrollment application deadline on the Buhata Calendar with a Reminder, and keep a Task list of the five questions to ask the counselor.
Open BuhataRelated Terms and Categories
- AP class
A high school course in the College Board's Advanced Placement program that ends in an AP Exam, where a high enough score can earn college credit or placement.
- Weighted GPA
A grade point average that gives extra points for harder courses such as honors, AP or IB, on a scale each school or district sets.
- FAFSA
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the U.S. Department of Education form a student files each year to apply for federal aid for college or career school.
- Scholarships
Money for school that a student doesn't repay, usually awarded for grades, skills or abilities by a college, employer, community group or state.
Sources
National Center for Education Statistics, "Dual Enrollment Programs and Courses for High School Students at Postsecondary Institutions: 2010-11" (NCES 2013-002) and its Tables 1 and 4; NCES, "Dual Enrollment: Participation and Characteristics" (NCES 2019-176)
- nces.ed.gov/pubs2013/2013002.pdf
- nces.ed.gov/pubs2013/2013002/tables/table_01.asp
- nces.ed.gov/pubs2013/2013002/tables/table_04.asp
- nces.ed.gov/pubs2019/2019176/index.asp
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