Guide
What is dual enrollment?
Dual enrollment means taking real college classes while you’re in high school, for credit that counts toward both your diploma and a college degree. Here’s how it works, what it costs, and how colleges read it.
By Lokesh Pampatti, founder of Clarity Prep · Updated October 18, 2026
You enroll at a college, usually a community college, technical college or state university, and take its classes on campus, online or at your high school. Pass the class and you earn college credit plus high school credit for the same course. In 2017–18, 82 percent of public high schools offered dual or concurrent enrollment, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
What it’s called where you live
Every state runs it a little differently, and many use their own name: Dual Enrollment in Georgia and Florida, dual credit in Texas, College Credit Plus in Ohio, Running Start in Washington, PSEO in Minnesota and Career and College Promise in North Carolina. “Concurrent enrollment” usually means a college class taught at your high school by a high school teacher.
How it works
- Ask your counselor which colleges partner with your school and which classes count for your diploma.
- Apply to the college as a dual enrollment student. Many ask for a minimum GPA or a placement or test score.
- Fill out your state’s or district’s paperwork, often with a parent’s signature, before the college’s deadline.
- Pick classes with your counselor so they count toward graduation, then register at the college.
Dual enrollment vs. AP
| Dual enrollment | AP | |
|---|---|---|
| Who teaches it | College faculty (or an approved high school teacher) | Your high school teacher |
| How you earn credit | Pass the class | Score high enough on one exam in May |
| Where the grade goes | High school and a permanent college transcript | High school transcript; the exam score is separate |
| Credit transfer | Best at in-state public colleges | Depends on each college’s AP score policy |
| Cost | Free to reduced, depending on your state | The exam fee, with fee reductions for students who qualify |
The good and the not so good
- Real college credit, often free or cheap. A semester or two of general education classes can shorten college or free up room for a second major later.
- It counts as a hard class. Admissions readers see it as rigor, like AP or IB, and many schools weight it in your GPA.
- You learn how college works before it counts for everything: syllabi, office hours and professors who won’t remind you about deadlines.
- The grade is permanent. A C in a college class follows you to every college you apply to and into your college GPA at some schools.
- Credit isn’t guaranteed to transfer, especially to private or out-of-state colleges.
- It can crowd out your high school life. Driving to a campus, different calendars and fewer hours for clubs or sports are real trade-offs.
How colleges see it
Admissions offices read your transcript in the context of what your school offers. If your school has few AP classes, strong dual enrollment grades are one of the best ways to show you pushed yourself. Highly selective colleges count the classes as rigor even when they don’t give you credit for them later.
What helps most is a pattern: classes that build toward what you want to study, taken alongside your hardest high school classes, with good grades in both. What helps least is a pile of easy electives taken to pad credits.
Dual enrollment in Georgia
Georgia pays tuition, mandatory fees and required books for eligible students, up to 30 semester hours. Juniors and seniors can take any approved course; sophomores need a 1200 SAT or 26 ACT for academic classes; freshmen aren’t eligible. Full rules, how to apply and the traps to avoid are on our Georgia Dual Enrollment guide.
Questions
Is dual enrollment free?
It depends on your state and the college. Some states pay tuition, fees and books for eligible students (Georgia does, up to 30 credit hours). Others charge a reduced rate or leave it to the school district. Ask your counselor what your state covers before you sign up.
Do dual enrollment grades go on your college transcript?
Yes. The college keeps a permanent transcript, and colleges you apply to later will usually ask for it. Grades in dual enrollment classes count, so take a load you can do well in.
Is dual enrollment better than AP?
Neither is better for everyone. AP credit depends on one exam score; dual enrollment credit depends on passing the class and the next college accepting it. Selective colleges read both as rigor. If your school offers few APs, dual enrollment is often the best way to show you took hard classes.
Will dual enrollment credits transfer?
Usually to public colleges in your own state, especially for general education classes. Private and out-of-state colleges decide case by case, and some highly selective colleges give little or no credit, though they still count the classes as rigor on your application.
Can dual enrollment hurt you?
It can if you overload. A low grade stays on a college transcript, and some state programs stop paying after withdrawals (Georgia ends funding after a second withdrawal). Start with one or two classes, ideally ones you’d take anyway.
Not sure it’s worth it for you?
A Clarity Prep mentor helps you decide between AP, IB and dual enrollment, picks classes that build toward your major, and checks in every week until applications are in.