College is the ultimate gateway to expanding your horizons academically, socially, and professionally. While four years may seem like a long time, between classes, football games, internships, and more, the time will fly by.
Participating in dual enrollment in high school can be a great way to make the most of your college experience. By earning college credits early, dual enrollment can save you time, reduce tuition costs, and help you explore advanced coursework before even stepping onto a college campus.
What Is Dual Enrollment in High School?
Dual enrollment, also know as concurrent enrollment, allows students to earn college credit while still in high school.
These classes can be rigorous—they’re college-level courses! But for ambitious college-bound students, the pros outweigh the cons.
Before we discuss the advantages and disadvantages, let’s examine how dual enrollment differs from dual credit classes.
Dual Enrollment vs. Dual Credit
Whether you take dual enrollment classes in high school or at a community college, these classes are college-level courses. Therefore, they count toward your future college transcript but may not help you accrue high school credits. It’s important to be strategic by working these courses into your high school schedule.
If you take a dual enrollment class outside of high school, like at a community college or nearby university, you may need to pay a small fee.
Dual credit is a type of dual enrollment, but it functions differently than basic dual enrollment. Dual credit classes—like Advanced Placement courses—allow you to get credit for high school and college. So, that AP Literature course counts toward your high school English requirement and may help you skip the Introduction to Literature course in college.
Typically, your school pays for the dual credit courses, and students with great financial need can even get fee waivers to waive the cost of the AP exam.
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Dual Enrollment in High School
While there are more pros than cons to dual enrollment, it can be beneficial to consider it holistically. It’s not the right fit for everyone, however.
First, let’s take a look at the benefits of dual enrollment.
Advantages of Dual Enrollment in High School
Saves Time & Money
Getting a few college courses out of the way in high school gives you more freedom to decide what courses you want to take in college. Taking required classes early through dual enrollment can allow you to get a head start on your major-related courses in college.
Having fewer required courses to take in college saves precious time: time you can use to join a club, run for student government, volunteer, and more!
Also, having to take fewer college courses can save you tuition dollars and maybe even help you graduate early!
Trains Your Brain
Dual enrollment courses are often literally college courses, thus they can be extremely challenging! But the added rigor of these courses shouldn’t scare you—think of them like the start of an intense, strength-training workout. At first, it may be hard, but pretty soon, you’ll start to build that critical thinking muscle, so that by the time you enroll in college, you’ll be ready to excel!
That all sounds pretty good, right? Well, it’s important to look at the potential drawbacks of dual enrollment before making any decisions.
Disadvantages of Dual Enrollment in High School
Credits May Not Transfer
While most colleges and universities accept dual enrollment and dual credit courses, every school is different. It’s important to research your prospective schools to ensure that they will accept your dual enrollment class credits. Sometimes, this means scheduling a meeting with the college admissions office.
While non-transferable dual enrollment credits shouldn’t dissuade you from attending a certain school, it can be helpful to consider all your options when applying to college.
Intense Workload
While challenging yourself academically is often beneficial, sometimes the workload and high expectations of dual enrollment courses can be too much. You absolutely do not want to take dual enrollment if you’re already struggling with your high school classes. To receive credit for these college courses, students must finish the class with a “C” or above.
While dual enrollment looks good on a transcript, college admissions counselors expect a high GPA and a diverse roster of extracurricular activities. If taking dual enrollment courses would negatively impact these two things, that’s an early sign that dual enrollment is not the best fit for you.
If you’re an underclassman, there’s still time to improve your grades for dual enrollment. Consider working with a HelloCollege tutor—an academic mentor who tailors their approach to help improve your academic performance.
Requirements for Dual Enrollment in High School
Now that I’ve got you thoroughly interested, let’s take a look at some of the requirements for participating in dual enrollment.
Here are some basic requirements that need to be met for you to participate in dual enrollment:
- GPA: Students typically need to maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher to be eligible for dual enrollment.
- High School & Parental Approval: Most dual enrollment classes require a student to provide approval from a teacher or guidance counselor, and sometimes even parents (especially if there is a cost associated with the dual enrollment courses).
- Placement Exams & Standardized Testing: Some schools require students to take a placement exam to ensure they’re ready for college-level work, or necessitate the student to have a certain score on the SAT or ACT.
While these are the most common, dual enrollment requirements can vary from state to state. You can view the list of requirements for each state here.
How Long Are Dual Enrollment Courses?
The length of dual enrollment courses varies depending on where you take the course. If you take a dual enrollment course through your high school, then the course will last a semester. These courses occur during the hours of a normal school day.
Courses taken at a local college or university typically last 15-16 weeks and can be scheduled in the morning or at night.
Some colleges and universities even let you take dual enrollment courses online, giving you more flexibility over your time commitment!
Conclusion
While dual enrollment isn’t right for everyone, enrolling in a dual enrollment program can save you time and money, and even help you ease into the rigors of college. Talk to your teachers or guidance counselors to see if dual enrollment is offered through your school.
Do you have additional questions about high school academics, course selection, or how to thrive? HelloCollege is here to help you navigate your path to success—reach out for a free consultation!
