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Does dual enrollment affect high school GPA?
I cannot speak for every school system or college across the country, but chances are good that it does. From my personal experience, I know that my son’s high school GPA is affected by his dual enrollment classes.
He has seen a ton of benefit from taking dual enrollment courses.
For example … he has earned college credit before graduating high school.
The cost for these classes has been minimal … we have only paid for books.
He gets high school credit for passing these courses.
And yes … his high school grade point average (GPA) has gone up from taking these courses.
Before I get into how these classes can impact your high school GPA, let’s first discuss what is dual enrollment.
What is Dual Enrollment?
Dual enrollment courses allow eligible high school students the chance to earn college credit early.
Most of the time, courses are taught at a local community college or university. Depending on the state and school district your child attends, many of the expenses like tuition will be covered.
Dual enrollment means that a student is enrolled in college level courses, while also attending high school classes.
My son, who is currently taking two dual enrollment classes only pays for his books. The remainder of the fees are paid for by the school district and state. Be sure to check with your local school district and state, as programs are different across the country.
Normally these classes are limited to high school juniors and seniors but varies by state and district.
In most cases, if a student passes the course, they will earn college credit while still attending high school.
By the time my son finishes his junior year of high school … he will have earned a total of 13 college credits.
For more information, check out – What is Dual Enrollment?
So we know that students have the ability to earn college credit while in high school by taking dual enrollment courses. But how does that impact a students high school grades and GPA?
Does dual enrollment affect high school GPA? – Yes it Can!
My oldest son currently attends a public high school in the state of North Carolina.
The state offers a dual enrollment program called Career & College Promise (CCP) to eligible high school students. This dual enrollment program allows students to enroll in college classes at an assigned local community college(s).
At the time of this writing, he is in his second semester of taking dual enrollment classes at the local community college. He takes two college classes along with his normal high school classes required for graduation.
His dual enrollment classes count towards both his college GPA as well as his high school GPA.
The good news is that his dual enrollment classes are counted just like an AP course (Advanced Placement) is for his weighted high school GPA.
So if he were to receive a B letter grade in a dual enrollment class … that would count as an A letter grade on his weighted GPA.
For the unweighted GPA … the dual enrollment class would count as the actual grade received.
Of course, this could be different across the country depending on what your state offers. So be sure to check the rules and requirements for dual enrollment in your location.
Pros and Cons of Dual Enrollment
For my son, there have been plenty of advantages of taking dual enrollment classes and the impact they have had on his high school GPA.
As I mentioned earlier, these classes count just as an AP course would towards his weighted high school GPA. In his first two dual enrollment classes he received ‘A’ letter grades … which counted towards 5.0 points on a 4.0 grading scale.
When applying to attend college after high school … admissions offices often look at the level of courses a student took while in high school. So a dual enrollment course, high school honors and AP courses are all looked upon favorably.
And finally … the grades he receives in his dual enrollment courses will also count towards his college GPA.
These are all advantages.
There is however another side to dual enrollment that can be a disadvantage if you are not careful.
If a student does not take these courses seriously, it can cost them a bunch.
For example, earning a poor letter grade in a dual enrollment class can put the student at an early disadvantage as that would be counted towards their college GPA.
And even though the grade may be counted like an AP class in high school (one grade higher) … starting your college GPA off this way is not a great start.
Even worse … if a student decides to drop a dual enrollment course because of poor grades, some states and school districts will require the parents to pay for the tuition. That is how it works in our son’s school district.
So while there are a ton of benefits of dual enrollment, it is crucial to make sure your student can handle the workload of a college level class.
Saving for College with Dual Enrollment
Dual enrollment can be the ultimate “saving for college” hack if it is offered in your state and school district.
If you are looking for ways to help save on college tuition for you or your child, then dual enrollment may be a good option to keep costs low.
These programs are offered at the state level and rules can vary. So you will need to search for specific details on the state in which you or your child attend high school.
Our family is using dual enrollment for our oldest son to help save on college tuition. By the time he graduates high school, he should have earned over 30 college credits from a local community college.
The tuition and fee’s are paid by the state and local school district. Our only expenses are the required textbooks, which have been minimal so far.
With all the talk of cancelling student loan debt … we are taking matters into our own hands and avoiding the need to take out any loans in the first place.
Does dual enrollment affect high school GPA? Dual enrollment may not be a good option for every student. However, for those who take advantage of this tool, it can save them thousands of dollars on the cost of attending college. And in many cases … YES it can affect a student’s high school GPA.
