The What, Why, and How of Dual Enrollment

By the end of the first week of school, students start hearing terms like “Dual Enrollment”; and “AP courses”, just to mention a couple. But what do these terms mean? How do students find their way around the complexity?

Dual enrollment is a way for high school students to take college-level courses and gain college credits while still being in high school. What makes dual enrollment so beneficial for students is that if a student passes the course, the credits will count toward both high school and college. Another advantage is that the students can enroll for and pursue the dual enrollment courses in the comfort of their own high school, a nearby community college, or at home online. This makes the program easily accessible for everyone.

The program is available for students who are looking to receive an Associate’s degree, a Bachelor’s degree, or a Technical and Career education certificate. The benefit of dual enrollment compared to taking an AP course is that with dual enrollment, there is no need for a student to pass an eventual test. All they are required to do is pass the course with a grade of a B or higher. Just a word of caution though: not all colleges will accept a dual enrollment credit, while most colleges will definitely accept an AP credit. In-state colleges are more likely to accept dual enrollment credits than out-of-state colleges. One difference when it comes between dual enrollment and Advanced Placement courses is that while AP exams cost around $95, dual enrollment costs approximately $270 per semester class. However, in the long run, the cost of dual enrollment still turns out to be a lot cheaper than an actual college course. 

At ACP, we work with the Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) to provide students with an opportunity to participate in dual enrollment. Registration for the program started on August 1st, 2022, and will end on September 18, 2022. The sign-up process begins with students creating a student account for the registration application. This is followed by filling out a form with their information (name, age, school, college, pre-requisites, etc.). Once their information is verified, they will receive an email from [email protected] telling them how to add their specific classes. Students will also have to meet the course requirements. For juniors and seniors, these will be determined through their high school transcripts, ACT, SAT, or PSAT scores. For freshmen and sophomores, the same will be determined by their scores on the EdReady Placement Test. 

At first look, it may seem to be a lot to navigate through, but the process is very student-friendly. There is guidance available through school counselors, and the CGCC website is also a great tool to turn to. Dual enrollment is definitely a great option for students looking to accumulate subject credits in preparation for college.