What We Know About Dual Enrollment

In dual enrollment (DE), high school students are enrolled in a college course and complete all the assignments that would normally be completed as part of the course. At the end of the course, they are given a final grade on a college transcript and course credit that can be applied toward a college degree. Dual enrollment programs differ from Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs in that students take college courses rather than high school courses with college-level content.

DE programs vary widely in terms of how many and what college courses they offer, where the courses take place (on college or high school campuses), and who teaches them (college faculty or high school teachers who qualify as college adjuncts).

The most recent national data (2002-2003) show that 71% of high schools offer dual enrollment opportunities and that 800,000 high school students take at least one college course during the school year.