Our free guidance platform determines your real college chances using your current profile and provides personalized recommendations for how to improve it.
As a college-bound student, it may be worthwhile to try and earn some college credit while you’re still in high school. You can do that by taking AP classes and/or higher-level IB courses, but you have to pass certain exams in order to get college credit from those courses. You could also take some classes at a community college over the summer or even during the school year, but you will probably have to pay to take those classes.
Dual enrollment, on the other hand, is a way for you to gain college credit without any of those other constraints. What are dual enrollment courses? Where do you take them? How does it work? For those answers and more, read on.
Dual Enrollment, also sometimes referred to as Dual Credit, is a program in which a student can earn college credit by taking college-level classes in high school. Though it differs by state, Dual Credit classes will likely be offered via a partnership with your school and a local community college. These courses will be specially marked on all course enrollment forms.
Most of the time, you will be able to take Dual Enrollment courses either at your high school or online. Sometimes, however, you may have to go to the local community college to take the course, in which case you may have to take time outside of school hours to take a dual enrollment course.
Each school will have different dual enrollment courses that they offer, but they’re usually introductory college courses that you will need to take while you’re in college anyway. Many colleges will accept dual enrollment courses as a waiver for the corresponding college introductory course.
In order to enroll in dual enrollment courses, a student has to meet certain standards. Each state has a different set of requirements and guidelines for their dual enrollment students, so you’ll need to check and see what the requirements are for your state. To see the comprehensive breakdown of the dual enrollment requirements by state, click here.
Most states allow 10-12th graders to enroll in dual enrollment courses, and they usually require that the student meet a minimum GPA requirement, usually around 3.0 or higher. Other than that, the course requirements vary.
The simple answer is: it depends. It depends on what your state mandates and what your high school/community college has arranged. Some schools allow dual enrollment courses to be taught at the high school itself. This way, a dual enrollment course could become part of your normal school schedule.
However, some courses require you to commute daily to the local community college, usually before or after normal high school hours. You may also be able to take a dual enrollment course online. Check with your high school counselor to see which of these options is offered by your school.
There are many benefits to enrolling in dual credit courses, including: