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Selected Findings

This section presents selected findings on dual enrollment programs and courses at 2-year and 4-year Title IV eligible degree-granting postsecondary institutions for the 12-month 2010–11 academic year.

  • During the 12-month 2010–11 academic year, 53 percent of all institutions reported high school students took courses for college credit within or outside of dual enrollment programs (table 1).5 Forty-six percent of all institutions reported that high school students took courses for college credit within a dual enrollment program, and 28 percent of institutions reported that high school students took courses for college credit outside a dual enrollment program. Institutions reported that approximately 1,277,100 high school students took courses for college credit within a dual enrollment program and approximately 136,400 high school students took courses for college credit outside a dual enrollment program during the 12-month 2010–11 academic year. Enrollments reported are unduplicated counts of students.6
  • Among institutions with a dual enrollment program, 83 percent reported courses within the program were taught at the college campus, 64 percent reported courses were taught at the high school campus, and 48 percent reported courses were taught through distance education (table 2).7
  • Among institutions with dual enrollment programs that had at least some instruction offered on high school campuses, 45 percent reported courses taught by both high school and college instructors, 34 percent reported high school instructors only, and 21 percent reported college instructors only (table 3).
  • Eighty-seven percent of institutions that reported high school instructors taught courses within the dual enrollment program(s) indicated that the instructors' minimum qualifications were the same as those required for college instructors (table 4).
  • Forty-four percent of institutions reported that the typical pattern of high school enrollments in the dual enrollment program was one course per academic term, 18 percent reported that they typical pattern of high school enrollments in the dual enrollment programs was two courses per academic term, and 3 percent reported that the typical pattern of high school enrollments in the dual enrollment program was three or more courses per academic term (table 5).
  • Ninety-five percent of institutions with dual enrollment programs awarded college credit for courses immediately after course completion, while 4 percent awarded college credit for courses upon students' enrollment at the institution after high school graduation (table 6).
  • Most institutions reported that high school students in grades 11 and 12 were eligible to take courses within the dual enrollment programs (91 and 97 percent, respectively) (table 7). Forty percent of institutions reported eligibility for high school students in grade 10, and 25 percent reported eligibility for high school students in grade 9.
  • Sixty percent of institutions reported that a minimum high school grade point average (GPA) was required in order to participate in the dual enrollment program (table 8). Other academic eligibility requirements reported by institutions included passing a college placement test (45 percent), a minimum score on a standardized test (43 percent), or a letter of recommendation (41 percent).
  • Forty-six percent of the institutions with a dual enrollment program reported that the academic eligibility requirements to participate in the dual enrollment program were the same as the admission standards for regular college students (table 9). Eighty-five percent of the institutions reported that the course curriculum within the dual enrollment programs was the same curriculum as for regular college students.
  • Fifty-six percent of institutions reported discounting the tuition rate for high school students participating in all of the dual enrollment programs, and 14 percent reported discounting the tuition rate for high school students participating in some of the dual enrollment programs (table 10). The most commonly reported source paying tuition for courses taken within the dual enrollment programs was the postsecondary institution (77 percent), followed by parents and students (66 percent), high schools and public school districts (44 percent), the state (38 percent), and other sources (10 percent).8
  • Forty-five percent of institutions with a dual enrollment program indicated that students (and their parents) generally paid out of pocket9 for tuition, 50 percent indicated that students generally paid for fees, and 60 percent indicated that students generally paid for books (table 11).
  • Fifteen percent of institutions reported that certificates were awarded, and 17 percent reported that associates' degrees were awarded during the 12-month 2010–11 academic year to high school students participating in the dual enrollment programs (table 12).
  • Twelve percent of all institutions had a comprehensive dual enrollment program in which high school students took all or most of their courses during the 12-month 2010–11 academic year (table 13).10
  • Four percent of all postsecondary institutions had a dual enrollment program geared specifically toward high school students at risk of educational failure during the 12-month 2010–11 academic year (table 14). Institutions reported enrolling pproximately 22,100 students in these programs.
  • Institutions with dual enrollment programs geared specifically toward high school students at risk of educational failure reported the following extra support services were offered to those students during the 12-month 2010–11 academic year: academic advising (74 percent), tutoring services (68 percent), study skills workshops (65 percent), college application and selection counseling (60 percent), financial aid counseling (49 percent), and other support services (41 percent) (table 15).11

5 Institutions could report about high school students taking courses within and outside of dual enrollment programs.
6 In the complementary dual credit survey of high schools, high schools were instructed to count a student for each relevant course in which he or she was enrolled. Therefore, course enrollments in the dual credit survey may include duplicated counts of students. For this reason, the data collected in the postsecondary dual enrollment and high school dual credit surveys are not comparable.
7 Institutions could report that they offered courses at multiple locations. Institutions were
instructed to report a course under the distance education category if the course was taught primarily through distance education. Examples of distance education courses were provided to respondents as courses taught through audio, video, Internet, or other computer technologies.
8 Examples of other tuitions sources reported include private scholarships and grants.
9 The term "out of pocket" was not defined for respondents.
10 The following explanation of comprehensive dual enrollment programs was included in the survey: Students are generally enrolled in these comprehensive programs for one or more years. Examples include early college and middle college high schools, as well as other dual enrollment programs in which high school students took all or most of their courses.
11 Institutions were instructed to report about support services beyond those usually provided to students taking courses through the institution.