Dual Enrollment Grants and Subsidies

Dual Enrollment Grants provide funding to cover tuition for high school students who are simultaneously enrolled in college while finishing their secondary education. This approach is often called “dual enrollment”. The Dual Enrollment Grant program is administered by the Department of Higher Education (DHE) in collaboration with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

To participate in dual enrollment, students may attend college classes during regular high school hours, or they may take classes during the afternoon, evening, weekend, or online. According to DESE, 6,673 high school students enrolled in college courses in the 2013-2014 academic year, representing roughly 5 percent of all high school juniors and seniors. This total includes over 2,000 students who were supported by the Dual Enrollment Grant program. Generally, these participating students takes a single college course. Students participating in dual enrollment programs often have higher rates of high school graduation, college enrollment, and degree completion.

The Dual Enrollment Program has been part of the Commonwealth’s education system since 1993, with 12,000 students participating between 1994 and 2001. The program was halted due to a shortage of state funding for several years, before being reintroduced in 2009. However, not all of the state’s campuses have the capacity and funding to accommodate dual enrolled students. Between FY 2012 and FY 2014, 25 of the 28 public higher education campuses accepted dual enrollment students, with most students participating at community colleges.

Updated September 2016