The appeal is straightforward – dual enrollment offers students a head start on their college education, often at little to no cost. Families facing the rising cost of higher education see it as a practical way of reducing tuition expenses before a student even sets foot on a college campus. For students, the academic challenge provides a meaningful preview of college-level coursework, helping them build confidence and study skills earlier.
With over 2.8 million students participating in dual enrollment nationwide as of the 2023-24 academic year, the numbers are indeed impressive. But Micol Hutchison, interim assistant vice chancellor for Policy and Instructional Support Services, sees an opportunity for students to begin learning about dual enrollment much earlier.
“While students don’t generally begin taking dual enrollment courses until 11th grade, they can begin exploring and learning about dual enrollment options as early as middle school,” she said. “Our new advising tool kit highlights ways that counselors can begin encouraging students in middle school and earlier in high school to prepare for the rigor of dual enrollment.”
Recognizing that early exposure to higher education can be transformative for first-generation college students, many states, including Virginia, have expanded access to underserved communities. While high school students and those advising them know that dual enrollment exists, they don’t necessarily know how it differs from other advanced coursework, or how it applies to an associate or bachelor’s degree for transfer programs.
“We want to make sure that students throughout the Commonwealth are aware of the wealth of dual enrollment options so that they can determine, prepare for, and pursue what’s best for them,” Hutchison said.
Dual enrollment also plays a critical role in our organization’s strategic plan Accelerate Opportunity. The plan’s first metric is to provide 12,500 cumulative meaningful postsecondary credentials to dual and concurrently enrolled students prior to high school graduation by 2030.
“We are on our way to meeting that metric,” Hutchison said. But she was quick to point out that there are many other objectives and metrics that connect to dual enrollment that might not be readily apparent.
“Dual enrollment serves students in myriad ways, and different students benefit from different pathways and offerings.”
As college preparation becomes increasingly competitive, students and parents alike see dual enrollment as an essential opportunity — one that combines the familiar structure of high school with college-level rigor and the exciting promise of what comes next.
