Dual Enrollment Is Increasing In North Carolina, Report Shows
“We’ve been doing Career and College Promise in our state for over a decade, and we’ve grown (in) 2013-14 from just over 11,000 students, to our present day report of almost 86,000 students,” said Aaron Mabe, the N.C. Community College System’s (NCCCS) dual enrollment director. “And at this point in time, we are at pre-pandemic levels.”
In North Carolina, dual enrollment opportunities for high school students have existed for more than 30 years. The state’s dual enrollment program, Career and College Promise (CCP), was created in 2011 to provide structured opportunities for high school students to earn college credits tuition-free that “lead to a certificate, diploma, or degree as well as provide entry-level jobs skills.”
CCP includes three pathways:
- College transfer (CTP) is designed for students planning to continue their educational career beyond high school to eventually achieve an associate or bachelor’s degree at a community college or university. This is the most popular CCP pathway, per the report, with 58% of CCP students enrolled in transfer courses.
- Career and technical education (CTE) allows students to begin a certification or diploma program in a particular technical field or career area. As of 2018, this pathway also includes workforce continuing education opportunities. About 16% of CCP students are enrolled in CTE courses.
- Cooperative Innovative High Schools (CIHS), commonly known as early colleges, allow students to work simultaneously toward completion of both the high school diploma and an associate degree, transferable credit, or certificate. Approximately 26% of CCP students were enrolled at a CIHS, the report said.
During the 2023-24 school year, there was a 19% increase in CTE participation and a 12% increase in transfer course enrollment, the report shows.
In 2023-2024, the total estimated curriculum full-time equivalent (FTE) cost reported for CCP was $167,052,234. The state pays for the tuition of participating students.
“Relative to previous years, the cost associated with each Career and College Promise program increased in tandem with increases in enrollment,” the report says.
While overall enrollment is going up, the report shows that enrollment in individual classes is also increasing, along with the number of credits and credentials earned.
“Our enrollment is going up, but we’re also seeing that our students are taking more classes,” Mabe said.
Here are a few highlights from 2023-24:
- CCP students earned a total of 4,124 credentials, a 24% increase from the last year.
- Students enrolled in more than 220,000 credit-level courses, a 14% increase.
- 1,918 individual students earned 5,288 industry-recognized credentials through high school CTE courses, based on DPI data.
- 3,498 CIHS students graduated with an associate degree. This is an increase of 97 students from the previous school year. An additional 1,139 applications from CIHS students to UNC System schools were also accepted.
Generally, CCP students perform better than their peers who are not enrolled in CCP, the report shows.
In fall 2023, CCP students completed 86% of their credit-level courses with a C or better, for example, compared to 74% of the general student population.
On Thursday, the Board also discussed access to CCP courses.
According to the report, nearly 40,000 high school graduates in 2023-2024 had enrolled in at least one dual enrollment course. That’s 36% of all graduates, an increase of 2,002 students (1%) from 2022-23.
The report also includes demographic information on dually enrolled students, shown in the chart below. Black and Latino students have the lowest rate of participation in CCP, at 24% and 28%, respectively. Asian and white students have the highest rates of participation, at 49% and 45%.
Early colleges had the highest percentage of non-white students, at 54%. Overall, 56% of CCP participants are white, the report says.
“Based on the enrollment data above, while there remains continued work, NCDPI is encouraged with how PSUs (Public School Units) are creating environments for access and opportunity among all race/ethnicity groups for dual enrollment,” the report says. “NCDPI and NCCCS continue to work closely together to support school districts and colleges to strengthen partnerships. …Staff from each agency host regular webinars to share promising practices in CCP that promote expanded awareness, access, and student success.”
On Thursday, Board members raised concern about gender demographics reflected in the report. During the 2023-24 school year, 59% of CCP participants were female, the report said.
“It is a general trend in higher ed that we’re seeing that kind of number. And yes, it is concerning,” NCCCS President Dr. Jeff Cox told the Board. “We’re seeing our young men disconnect in larger numbers from higher ed generally. It may be particularly true with the universities, but it is also true with us.”
According to the report, the CTE pathway had the highest percentage of male students at 55%.
At the end of the presentation of the report, the Board heard remarks from a former CCP student, Isaias Martinez Hernandez.
Martinez Hernandez, who was dually enrolled at Randolph Community College, completed an EMT license and 40 hours of transfer credit before graduating from Uwharrie Charter Academy High School in Asheboro.
He is currently attending NC State University on a full scholarship and is working toward becoming a trauma surgeon. Martinez Hernandez said he is really grateful for the CCP program and for all the opportunities it provided him.
“All of those 40 hours of college transfer credits were completely free of charge for me — the only thing I had to pay for was for my EMT license, the test, and my uniform,” he said. “So I completed my EMT license and 40 hours of credit for under $100, and that’s truly amazing.”
You can read the full draft CCP report on the system’s website.