Understanding Florida’s Early College Early Admissions Programs

Best Practices / State Policy / Student Outcomes /

Florida is a national leader in the effort to provide students with a range of dual enrollment opportunities. The state is also a national leader in expanding opportunities for students to be able to earn college credit, particularly through two important initiatives:

Early College (EC) programs/schools and Early Admissions
(EA) programs. Both initiatives have been created through state legislation that seeks to expand ways in which students can enter and complete college efficiently and successfully. In addition, they have the potential to improve opportunities for traditionally underserved groups of students.

Both dual enrollment and Early College high schools across the nation have been well-researched and have led to positive student outcomes.1 Florida’s dual enrollment programs have been extensively studied and shown to be effective.2 However, little is known about Early College and Early Admissions programs in Florida—their designs, their implementation practices, and evidence of effectiveness. This report begins to address this knowledge gap.