Dual enrollment programs allow high school students to take college courses and earn college credit before graduation. This smooths your transition into higher education, broadening your horizons for future learning experiences and career paths. By participating in dual enrollment, you're not just saving time and money; you’re also getting a valuable head start on college-level learning, setting a strong foundation for your future.
It’s important to understand the difference between dual enrollment and dual credit, as they're often mentioned together but have key differences:
Dual Enrollment: Think of this as taking college classes while you're still in high school. It's a bit like getting a sneak peek at college life. But just because you're taking these college courses doesn't always mean you'll get high school credits for them.
Dual Credit: This is a special type of dual enrollment. When you take these classes, you're hitting two birds with one stone – you get credit for both high school and college at the same time. So, completing the course counts towards both your high school diploma and your future college degree.
Basically, dual enrollment is the idea of taking college courses in high school, and dual credit is a specific kind of dual enrollment where you definitely get credit for both high school and college.