Dual Enrollment: An Alternative Path to College Success
“Preparation is the key to success.” Throughout my high school career, the college advisor encouraged me to take Advanced Placement (AP) courses to best prepare for college, explaining that they would boost my GPA and help me earn college credit. While showing academic rigor to prospective colleges, I was discouraged to take dual enrollment as an alternative. Taking dual enrollment classes in high school better equips students for college success both academically and socially by exposing them to campus environments and real college-level academics while guaranteeing college credits and saving students college tuition.
An advantage of dual enrollment courses is the exposure it gives a high school student to real college environments. The courses align with college classes by providing the same curriculum, grading policies, and academic expectation as those given to a full-time college student. Similarly, they are either offered on a college campus or taught by a college professor. By contrast, AP courses are being taught by a high school teacher and within the structure and timeline of the high school system. In her article “College policies mixed on AP, IB, dual classes,” Kiara Amaya (2024) highlights that AP courses might raise a student's GPA if they perform well in the course; however, earning college credit isn't guaranteed. Students must take an advanced exam at the end of the term, which is graded on a scale 1 to 5, and typically needs a score of 3 or higher to qualify for college credit. In addition, Caralee J. Adams (2014) claims that “in the past 10 years requirements for such credit at the university have inched upward, with many departments now requiring an AP exam score of 4 or 5 to receive credit, instead of a 3, as in the past” (para. 32).
In the article “New directions for dual enrollment: Creating stronger pathways from high school through college,” Nancy Hoffman et al. (2009) argues that a crucial reason to support dual enrollment courses being offered in high school is its proven impact on college enrollment in the future. Not only does it academically prepare students, it also gives students valuable social experiences. Being in a college setting allows high school students to develop stronger communication skills, self-confidence, and a sense of independence. Christopher Drew’s article, “Rethinking A.P” discusses that although AP courses provide rigorous, standardized assignments, they also present several barriers, such as the pressure of end of term exams, inconsistent college acceptance of AP scores, and the high cost of taking the tests (2011). For many students, these financial drawbacks make dual enrollment a more appealing and cost-effective option earning college credits.
Amaya (2024) emphasizes how dual enrollment “can help students save on college tuition” by earning transferable credits while in high school (para. 16), highlighting its major advantages: the potential to significantly reduce the cost of higher education. For example, earning college credits in high school can reduce the number of courses needed to be completed in college, lowering tuition. Some students are even able to graduate a semester or more early, possibly saving thousands of dollars and reducing the need for student debt. AP courses, by contrast, have exam fees and if students score below the required level or attend a college that does not accept AP credit, the expenses and effort are essentially a loss. Many students end up taking AP courses without receiving any meaningful academic or financial return.
Dual enrollment is often a more beneficial choice than AP for preparing students academically and socially for college life. From my own experience, I’ve come to the realization that dual enrollment would have been the best option for me. As a strong student but hesitant test-taker, I often felt overwhelmed by the pressure of AP exams because I knew that a single test score would determine whether or not I earned college credit. Additionally, I wasn’t aiming to get into an Ivy League school like Harvard; I just wanted a head start on college. Dual enrollment would have allowed me to earn real college credits and saved me both time and money by putting me academically ahead before even stepping foot on a college campus. For students like me, dual enrollment is a smarter, more personalized path to college success.