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More than ever before in our culture, there is an increasing desire to progress and succeed and to fulfill the essential need for self-actualization. This is especially true for high school students who seek more challenges, aspire to learn faster and crave higher achievements. In the process, they remain eager to decipher the science of success. Whether exceptionally gifted or in need of more academic support, they are keen to experience college and gain the superior knowledge they wish to eventually master. For these students, dual enrollment is the most solid stepping stone to building a bright future.

According to many industry experts, dual enrollment is an academic opportunity for high school students to experience college-level academics by taking postsecondary credit hours while still in high school. Students benefit from the social and professional demands of a college environment and enjoy the reduced overall tuition cost offered by the sponsoring higher education institution.

For the education providers – secondary and postsecondary – the motivation for sustaining dual enrollment programs is based on the opportunity to boost the quality of communication and collaboration between the two systems.  Dual enrollment can also help the student population advance their education collectively, earn a degree and achieve their personal and professional goals. This process is especially favorable when dual enrollment courses are delivered entirely online, adding convenience and flexibility to the mix.

It is irrefutable that dual enrollment gives talented students a means to pursue higher education at an accelerated pace before they even earn a high school diploma. However, another group has historically seen positive results from dual enrollment – those high school juniors or seniors who are financially less fortunate and whose families have been unable to transcend middle or high school. 

Even students perceived as unmotivated to succeed are more likely to strive to become better students when given the opportunity to create a new purpose in life and actively participate in improving their odds at success.

Jennifer D. Jordan’s article, “College material: Early taste of higher education whets appetite for success,” discusses student motivation and how a dual enrollment opportunity can change lives. She writes: “The students, on average, did two to four hours of homework each day — far more than they did in high school. They say, ‘Give us more.’ A lot of their motivation comes from their families and recognizing that they are getting opportunities their families did not get, and a desire to make them proud.”

Each institution determines how its dual enrollment program is organized. However, the perceived benefits of enrolling in such a program are paramount. It is important for high school students to know that earning early college credits will enhance their academic profile, diversify their studies, contribute toward their high school graduation, and familiarize them with the college environment, course requirements and the demands of self-discipline.

Higher education institutions should account for several other key elements in a successful dual enrollment program.

Institution’s goals
Whether on a small or large scale, the institution must rally all the necessary resources around the goal of increasing enrollments and raising the bar of quality education. By developing strategic partnerships with secondary education institutions and outreach initiatives, colleges and universities can dramatically increase their student inflow, improve retention rates and contribute to students’ academic and professional advancement. Therefore, a dual enrollment program is one more way to serve the needs of achievement-oriented students when earning college credits in technical disciplines or in transferable general education studies.

State regulations
The consensus is that all students, especially those who are underprivileged or need more academic support, should be given the opportunity to advance their education through dual enrollment and prepare for further pursuit of education, beyond high school.

Industry reports show that 42 states have policies in place that allow colleges and universities to offer dual enrollment courses. According to Angela Swinson Lee in “Dual Enrollment Reaches Down” published in Youth Today, Florida and New York lead the way as early pioneers of this idea (in the 1980s), but “initiatives to expand dual enrollment beyond the top students also exist or are being developed in Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas and Utah.”

Community outreach
Higher education institutions should extend dual enrollment to all students—not only to those who are exceptionally gifted. By opening the door to other groups of students, colleges and universities can help advance an entire high school student population in its respective community and beyond. After all, a better-educated, younger generation will be more prepared to become the next most effective, professional generation.

In her article, Jennifer Jordan quotes a faculty member’s outlook on student success in dual enrollment: “We do look at grades. But more than that, we look for three things: desire, character and commitment. And these students, they all really want to move forward.” All students should ultimately pursue these three qualities, which define the science of success and will help a young generation achieve its professional goals and dreams.