Four-year universities are increasingly initiating dual-credit courses for high school students as their enrollment and tuition revenues shrink, cutting into a market long dominated by community colleges.
The dual-credit programs aim to entice low-income and minority students to continue their studies, higher education insiders told The Washington Times. Since the coronavirus pandemic, fewer disadvantaged families have applied for four-year degrees amid rising tuition and living costs.
Multiple reports have found millions of high school students favoring cheaper dual-enrollment courses and trade school credentials at two-year campuses since 2020, adding pressure on small public and private colleges to merge or close.
“A few studies have shown that dual enrollment programs at four-year institutions increased the likelihood of students applying to and being admitted to these universities, suggesting dual enrollment can influence students’ decisions on where to pursue their higher education,” said Rita Karam, senior policy researcher at the Rand Corp.
Dating back to the 1950s, dual enrollment allows teenagers to earn credit for high school and college simultaneously by taking courses at either location. Community colleges sponsor most of the low-cost programs, many of which allow teens to earn a two-year associate’s degree by the time they finish 12th grade.
The National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships, which accredits dual-enrollment programs, estimates that its number of participating institutions jumped by 23% from 2021 to 2024, with four-year schools accounting for more than half the increase.
According to NACEP, four-year campuses grew from 33% of member institutions allowing high school students to earn college credit in 2021 to 37% last year. They are projected to hit roughly 40% this year.
“Dual enrollment is not a magic wand that solves enrollment challenges,” said Amy Williams, NACEP’s executive director. “But I definitely think it is a more proven investment for building strong connections with local [and] regional high schools, and gaining early access to college-capable students, than having a booth at a college fair or some ads.”
The expansion of dual enrollment comes as four-year colleges scramble to reduce the cost and time requirements of their degrees. Other fast-growing initiatives include three-year bachelor’s degree programs and direct admissions letters, which second-tier public colleges use to automatically admit top high school students in diverse ZIP codes.
Critics call dual enrollment a tactic by tuition-dependent universities to win over families who no longer consider their four-year degrees to be worth six figures of federal student loan debt.
“The colleges that are pursuing this approach to boosting enrollments probably include a fair number whose financial position is shaky,” said Peter Wood, president of the conservative National Association of Scholars and a former associate provost at private Boston University. “Others are just trying to keep their options open as the market for four-year college programs continues to erode and new forms of competition arise.”
Exodus of the poor
Two examples in New York and Pennsylvania illustrate how four-year colleges have used dual-enrolled classes to make higher education more accessible.
The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, which offers a budget-friendly average tuition of $7,716, recently boosted dual enrollment while merging campuses.
In 2022, PASSHE combined six universities (Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, Mansfield, California, Clarion and Edinboro) into two multi-campus institutions to offset years of enrollment losses. The system’s 10 regional public universities cater to in-state residents from rural households of modest income.
According to information shared with The Times, dual enrollment nearly doubled from 734 students in fall 2018 to 1,239 students — out of 82,000 total — in fall 2023.
“That growth shows students and parents value dual enrollment, and higher ed is responding to that increased demand,” said Kevin Hensil, a spokesman for the PASSHE chancellor.
He attributed much of that growth to increased funding for dual enrollment subsidies that Republican lawmakers included in the 2024-25 state budget.
In neighboring New York, Bard College, a private liberal arts campus in Annandale-On-Hudson, offers a tuition-free associate’s degree for high school students. It aims at “dismantling systemic inequities that inhibit access based on race, immigration status, class, (dis)ability, sexual orientation or gender expression.”
Known as Bard Early College, the program’s satellite campuses replace the last two years of high school with a “supportive immersion in college study.” The first campus opened in New York City in 2001 as a collaboration with local high schools.
“Recognizing this context, BEC will take a proactive approach to address institutionalized biases that marginalized members of our communities face and work to proactively correct that bias, ensuring we hold ourselves accountable, even if we initially are unaware of our exhibited bias,” reads a statement on the school website.
Filling seats
The push to enlarge dual enrollment comes as economic changes have forced four-year colleges to adjust to reduced demand from families and increased competition from vocational-technical programs.
Hundreds of private liberal arts colleges have shuttered and hundreds of regional public campuses have merged in recent years to offset declining applications caused by falling birth rates, tuition hikes and increased operating costs.
Others have stayed open by making sweeping cuts to liberal arts and humanities programs that students associate with lower-paying careers.
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported in October that first-year college enrollment plunged by more than 5% from fall 2023. Four-year schools serving low-income students were hit the hardest, as the tally of entering freshmen dropped by over 10% on campuses with high shares of Pell Grant recipients.
Over the same period, the clearinghouse estimated a 7.4% growth in dual enrollment among high school students under 18. Additionally, enrollment at community colleges crept up by 1.2% and the number of students pursuing short-term “microcredentials” in skilled trade certificate programs jumped by 7.3%.
These trends have bolstered community colleges as four-year schools shrink.
Gary Stocker, founder of College Viability, which evaluates colleges’ financial sustainability, estimates that 40 out of 200 struggling private colleges will close in the current academic year even after cutting their budgets.
He said low-cost classes for dual-enrolled students could boost some of the others, despite the “materially insignificant” income they provide.
“Get a high school student taking courses from your college and increase the chances of that student enrolling full-time after graduating from high school,” said Mr. Stocker, a former chief of staff at private Westminster College in Missouri.
In a first-of-its-kind report in August, the Department of Education estimated that 2.5 million high school students took dual-enrolled courses through 2,400 colleges during the 2022-23 academic year.
John Fink, senior research associate at Columbia University’s Community College Research Center, said the “confidence-boosting” benefits of dual enrollment include reducing the cost and time needed for a degree; increased academic preparation for college; exposure to different fields of study; and higher enrollment for high schools and colleges.
“Given the potential of dual enrollment programs to increase college access and attainment, particularly among groups that are underrepresented in higher education, I’m hoping more programs will invest in dual enrollment programs both as a college access and acceleration strategy,” Mr. Fink said.
Martha Parham, senior vice president of public relations for the American Association of Community Colleges, declined to comment on four-year colleges adopting dual enrollment programs.
However, she touted the popularity of dual-enrolled classes in her association, which represents 1,026 non-profit community colleges serving 10.2 million students a year.
“Does it help with enrollment? In certain cases, absolutely, but it also helps the students and community by exposing students to opportunities as early as possible,” Ms. Parham said. “The younger you expose them to college, the better off you are.”
• Sean Salai can be reached at ssalai@washingtontimes.com.