Over recent decades, post-secondary education has escalated to the top of many individuals’ priority lists, as today’s market often requires one to possess a college degree in order to maintain a competitive edge. For years, dual enrollment programs have provided high school students with the opportunity to experience a taste of college academics.  Such programs allow students to enroll in courses for which the credit earned is applicable to both secondary and post-secondary institutions.  The popularity of such programs, in many cases, has resulted in state governments encouraging public institutions to develop dual enrollment programs with local secondary schools. Moreover, the latest information shows that dual enrollment programs are reaching new and diverse demographics of students.

According to a 2008 report distributed by the Community College Research Center (CCRC), dual enrollment programs are becoming increasingly influential in the lives of academically challenged, low income and minority students.  Indeed, dual enrollment programs offer a unique benefit to student populations not traditionally targeted for higher education. By enrolling in such a program, students can enjoy such benefits as:

  •    Accumulated college credit(s)
  •    Increased levels of teacher-student engagement
  •    Opportunities to build connections with college faculty
  •    A preview of typical college requirements
  •    Ability to secure first-hand advice about the college transition

Dual enrollment is proving to be of particular interest to disadvantaged students because it provides them with a secure environment through which to test the waters of higher education. With the hands-on support of college faculty and reduced class sizes, students can gain a positive first college experience and avoid getting lost in the large freshman mix.

Meanwhile, dual enrollment programs offer teachers, school administrators and parents their own set of benefits, including:

  •    Increased motivation in students
  •    Increased high school graduation rates
  •    Decreased entrance levels for remedial education
  •    Decreased college drop-out rates, particularly in the second semester
  •    Financial savings options for both families and education systems
  •    Reduced levels of “senioritis”
  •    Constructive encouragement for students to pursue postsecondary education

For parents, the greatest advantage of dual enrollment may be the financial pay off. Not only are students earning college credit at the high school level, they are reducing their chances of entering a remedial education program once in college.  Furthermore, students can limit the time (and money) spent on general education requirements and begin major-related courses at an earlier stage.

Meanwhile, administrators benefit from overall improvement in students’ productivity levels. For example, the CCRC report shows that high school students who participated in a dual enrollment program consistently held a higher first-year college GPA than those students who did not participate in a dual enrollment program. In addition, the report links the increase in dual enrollment participation with growth in high school graduation levels.

The CCRC’s report, which was supported by data from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), offered that 71 percent of public high schools had enrolled students in one or more dual enrollment courses.  The number of colleges and universities participating in dual enrollment programs was slightly lower at only 51 percent. However, the most interesting statistic stated that while 76 percent of low-minority high schools had dual enrollment programs, only 58 percent of high-minority high schools had active programs.

Overall, dual enrollment programs are giving students of low income or minority background a firmer foundation on which to work toward a higher education.  For these students, a college degree — perhaps once only a dream — can become a reality.