Nearly one in five community college students are high schoolers participating in dual enrollment programs, which has become an increasingly popular pathway to higher education and the workforce, according to EdSurge and The Hechinger Report. In some states, that dual-enrollment presence is even greater: in Iowa, for instance, high school students account for just over 45% of total community college enrollment.
Dual enrollment programs, which are offered mostly through community colleges, have drawn attention as a path to more affordable postsecondary education, as they allow students to take college courses and earn credit while being in high school. “People are concerned about the costs of higher education: state legislators and governors, families, and students,” Josh Wyner, founder and executive director of the College Excellence Program at the Aspen Institute, tells EdSurge. “The idea of getting college credit while you’re in high school is appealing as a way of holding the cost of college down.”
This spring, there were over 1.1 million dual-enrolled high school students (age 17 and younger) taking college courses, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Participation in dual enrollment rose for the third year in a row, increasing by 10%, or by 100,000 students. Dual-enrolled high school students accounted for nearly 28.1% of spring 2024 undergraduate enrollment increases.
Making dual enrollment programs for all students
Dual enrollment programs can be beneficial for students, community colleges, and public schools, according to two decades of research by John Fink, a senior research associate and program lead at the Community College Research Center. Students who participate in dual enrollment have higher high school and college completion rates than their peers. Dual enrollment boosts undergraduate enrollment and is in a way “the only source of enrollment growth for community colleges over the last decade,” Nick Mathern, director of K-12 partnerships for Achieving the Dream, a nonprofit that supports a network of community colleges, tells EdSurge. Dual enrollment programs also give a competitive edge to public schools for students who would otherwise consider attending private schools.
Unlike Advanced Placement (AP) programs—which remain popular options for high school students looking to complete college-level work—dual enrollment programs often provide access to a diverse set of courses, including those in technical and career fields, that can appeal to a wide range of students. AP students get college credit if they score high enough on standardized tests, while dual-enrolled students earn credit after they complete their college-level courses.
However, low-income students and students of color often have less access to dual enrollment programs than their peers. Some states offer dual enrollment courses for free, but others require students to pay for those courses and base eligibility on standardized test scores—factors that can be barriers to dual enrollment for underserved students. A shortage of dual enrollment instructors with the credentials (typically a master’s degree in a specific subject) to teach both high school and community college students have also led to inequitable access to the programs.
Related: Making dual credit programs accessible, equitable for underserved communities >
As states work to boost high school participation in dual enrollment, advocates hope the programs will not only appeal to college-bound students looking for more rigorous academic courses but also make college a more accessible option for “students on the margins of going to college,” says Fink. Success, experts say, will hinge on providing students with the support, resources, and academic advising they need to make the most of dual enrollment opportunities.