EARLY COLLEGE VS. DUAL CREDIT - PLANNING THE MOST EFFECTIVE HIGH SCHOOL - COLLEGE COLLABORATION BASED ON STUDENT OUTCOMES

Oct 15, 2026

Research evaluates dual credit and early college options for districts planning high school and college collaborations, using quasi-experimental analysis of existing community college data. Logistic regression and covariate analysis compare early college students with dual credit and traditional postsecondary students from comprehensive high schools that matriculated after graduation. Outcomes include college GPA, cumulative credits, ACT performance, and bachelor’s degree attainment, focusing on student pathways supported by a U.S. Department of Education-linked early college model. Results show early college students achieve higher GPAs and bachelor’s degree attainment.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Dual credit and dual enrollment definitions

Early college program structure

Study purpose and context

EARLY COLLEGE VS. DUAL CREDIT: PLANNING THE MOST EFFECTIVE HIGHSCHOOL – COLLEGE COLLABORATION BASED ON STUDENT OUTCOMES NICHOLAS BRAKE Western Kentucky University. U.S.A. ABSTRACT This research examines the dual credit and early college program options for school districts planning high school and college collaborations. It utilizes a quasi-experimental design from existing data at a community college that has a well-established dual credit and early college program that offers the students the option of Pell in high school as part of a USDOE program. The study uses logistic regression and covariate analysis of students in an early college program comparing their college GPA, cumulative credits, ACT scores, and bachelor’s degree attainment to dual credit students as well as traditional postsecondary students from three comprehensive high schools that matriculated to the college after high school. The results indicated that early college students had significantly higher GPAs and more ofthem earned the bachelor’s degree as compared to dual credit, and traditional postsecondary students. BACKGROUND A significant body of research indicates that a high school diploma is not sufficient for the skills required in most jobs of the 21st century (Carnevale et al, 2018) . As educators seek to provide students with the academic, employability, and occupational skills needed to succeed in the workplace, an emphasis on life-long learning and training beyond high school is critical. One means of helping students learn these needed skills and experience postsecondary training is through dual credit courses and early college programs. Over the past few decades, the boundaries that separate secondary and postsecondary education have increasingly blurred as more high school students enroll in college before they graduate high school (Taylor et al, 2022) . This research is intended to help school and district leaders and educational planners evaluate and plan the most effective options for high school and college collaboration by comparing the student outcomes in dual credit as compared to early college at a well-established program in a community college. National estimates suggest about 1.4 million high school students—or 9% of all high school students—are enrolled in college courses each year, but this number has grown tremendously in recent years. The growth of dual enrollment programs is difficult to assess at the national level due to limited data, but state-level data often show astounding growth (Taylor, et al 2022) . In dual credit, a student is enrolled in a course which allows him/her to earn high school credit and college credit simultaneously. This course may be taught on a college campus, on a high school campus, online, or at an area technology center, but it will be in conjunction with a college or university. Dual enrollment is very similar to dual credit. However, with dual enrollment, the student will actually be enrolled in both high school and college. The classes are nearly always taught on the college campus and the student will often be taking multiple college courses. Dual enrollment programs allow high schools and community colleges to share limited resources while offering students opportunities to take college classes, explore careers, save money, and shorten their time to a degree (NACEP, 2022) . Once intended for high-achieving students, dual enrollment is now Educational Planning | Winter 2023 25 Vol. 30, No. 1 perceived as a means of helping more students, especially low-income students and first-generation college-goers, get and stay on pathways to postsecondary attainment (NACEP, 2022) . The terms dual credit, dual enrolment, and concurrent enrolment are commonly used to refer to highschool students taking college courses. States and localities use different terms, and these terms may have different meanings by location. This paper uses the term dual credit to include all types of program

FAQs

What comparison does the study make between early college and dual credit programs?

The study compares student outcomes from an early college program with outcomes from dual credit students and traditional postsecondary students, focusing on college GPA, cumulative credits, ACT scores, and bachelor’s degree attainment.

How are dual credit and dual enrollment described in the paper?

Dual credit involves earning high school and college credit simultaneously while being enrolled in a course alongside high school; dual enrollment is described as being enrolled in both high school and college, typically with classes taught on the college campus.

What is the core feature of early college programs discussed here?

Early college programs require students to attend college fulltime on campus during the final two years of high school, with college faculty teaching courses and enabling students to earn both high school credit and two years of college credit (or an associate degree) within 4–5 years.

Oct 15, 2026

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