Where has the year gone? Over the years I’ve learned that you can’t “save time in a bottle,” but you can make adjustments to use time wisely – and save money – if you have access to the right tools. One of those tools for the families of local high school students is a dual-credit college course.
Dual-credit courses are available to high school juniors and seniors, with their school district’s approval. The students are enrolled in a college-level class – either at the high school (with an appropriately credentialed instructor), in-person at a college like Danville Area Community College, or online from the college. High school students enrolled in these courses pay little or no tuition for the class and receive both high school and college credit for them when they pass with a grade of “C” or better.
During fiscal year 2024, including fall 2023, and spring and summer 2024, Danville Area Community College served 393 dual-credit students. Dual-credit students’ families cumulatively saved $235,821 in tuition in just one year.
Students enrolled in the career programs of College Express, or the high school completion alternative Middle College program are not included in those numbers. Enrolled students and cost savings in those programs would swell the numbers exponentially.
Whether they are on-campus, online, or at the high school, the instructors for dual-credit courses must have a Master’s degree in the discipline or be working on a degree with a minimum of 18 Master’s credits in the discipline. The syllabus, text, assignments, and tests are the same for the dual credit students as the traditional college students. Academic rigor and standards are determined and maintained by the State’s Dual Credit Quality Act.
Dual credit opportunities at Illinois’ 48 community colleges are working wonders all over the State. According to the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB),
• In FY 23, Illinois community colleges offered a total of 14,638 dual credit courses across the state, enrolling more than 82,600 individual high school students in one or more community college dual credit courses, and
• High school students that take dual credit courses have substantially higher community college graduation rates and advancement rates than those students that did not enroll in dual credit coursework.
Several local school districts support dual credit to the point that their students can earn an Associate degree while still in high school. Those students have saved in excess of $10,000 in tuition costs and reduced their potential student loan liability. With that degree under their belt, those students are able to enter a university with junior-level credits and have a two-year jump start on their peers.
What was just one student 10 years ago has now grown to 10 or more students each year who receive their Associate degree at DACC’s Commencement on Friday night and then receive a diploma at their high school’s graduation ceremony later in the month. Quite a few have managed the feat with a perfect 4.0 GPA.
Registration for Spring classes at DACC begins Tuesday. Anyone interested in more information about dual-credit courses should visit dacc.edu/dual-credit. If you’d like to enroll – or discuss your options – speak with your student’s high school guidance counselor, or reach out to DACC Advisor Amie Musk at a.musk@dacc.edu. We look forward to welcoming you.