Millions of students are now taking advantage of dual enrollment classes, which allow students to earn high school and college credit simultaneously. Studies have demonstrated that dual enrollment is a powerful way to reap academic benefits and reduce the time it takes to complete a bachelor’s degree.
Streamlining Education and Earning Credits
Dual Enrollment students can graduate from high school with transferable college credits. Doing so fast-tracks their undergraduate or workforce degrees and creates a streamlined educational pathway that ensures students complete a post-secondary degree faster.
Additionally, students save money on college tuition by reducing the time required to complete a degree. By completing some courses while in high school, students have fewer credits left to pay for when starting college.
Dual Enrollment tuition at DIU is about 1/4 the cost of undergraduate tuition. The net savings can be several thousands of dollars.
Enhanced College Readiness and Increased Degree Attainment
One study found that students who earn college credit in high school are more likely to graduate, enroll in college, and earn college degrees than comparison students. Two years out of high school, 24% of these students had earned a post-secondary degree, as opposed to 2% of comparison students.
Even as the gap between the two groups decreased over time, the comparison students did not catch up. Overall, 81% of students who earned college credit while in high school ended up enrolled in college, compared to 72% of comparison students. So earning college credit while in high school will generally lead to better college outcomes.
Increasing College Pace and Performance
study found that enrolling in dual enrollment courses increased the number of college courses students took once they enrolled. This increased pace of college education is important to success and completion. Fewer college years means fewer major life events that might cause or require a student to pause their degree or stop entirely.
Importantly, this study also found that dual enrollment improved students’ academic performance, evidenced by higher college grade point averages (GPAs). Since GPAs are important for scholarship applications and for graduate program applications, students who take dual enrollment courses will be more likely to be accepted into a financially viable graduate program.
These benefits also extend to those who are often left behind in the post-high school educational system. According to the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, students who are low income, first-generation, and underrepresented minorities succeed and persist at a higher rate when they engage in dual enrollment.
Apply Today
In conclusion, dual enrollment programs present a multitude of academic benefits. These range from streamlining educational pathways and increasing degree attainment rates, to enhancing academic performance. We hope you will apply today and join us next term. Or if you have questions, write us at dual-enrollment@diu.edu.
