Dual enrollment has been gaining steam as a policy and practice across the country for years, driven by a desire to improve both persistence rates and affordability. A growing body of research suggests that participation in dual enrollment programs is linked to increased grade point average, total earned college credits, college enrollment, degree attainment, while decreasing time to graduation and total semesters enrolled.

There are many models for dual enrollment, which vary widely across states and school districts. Programs differ in eligibility requirements, course delivery, the catalog available to students, funding structures, and the strength of partnerships between K-12 and higher education institutions. As states continue to expand these opportunities, keeping affordability, credit transferability, and access at the forefront will be essential to ensuring that dual enrollment improves outcomes for all students, leading to greater persistence, lower costs of attendance, and reduced time to completion.

The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) recommends that states offer dual enrollment opportunities that:

• Are free for students
• Allow students to earn college credit that reduces the time to attain a degree
• Exposes students to postsecondary curricula

Additional Resources

• Aspen Institute
  • Dual Enrollment Assessment Tool (for colleges and universities)
  • The Dual Enrollment Playbook
• Bellwether: Sharing the Cost - Insights from States Funding Dual Enrollment to Expand Access
• Community College Research Center
  • State Findings: Dual Enrollment Student Outcomes
  • Understanding Dual Enrollment
• Gates Foundation: Dual Enrollment (learning deck) 
• Jobs for the Future
  • Dual Transformation in Dual Enrollment
  • Policies and Practices that Support Dual Enrollment Innovation