This Dual Credit study sheds light on how dual credit programs affect graduation rates and student debt, as well as the pros and cons of dual credit from both student and faculty perspectives. The study also looks at the consequences of the exponential enrollment growth in dual credit programs, among other factors.
Dual credit programs allow high school students to enroll in college courses and receive simultaneous academic course credit for both college and high school. According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, more than 151,000 Texas high school students took dual credit courses in 2017, compared to 42,000 in 2000 – an increase of 753 percent.
For its study, the UT System looked at the outcomes of approximately 135,000 students who entered a UT academic institution between 2010 and 2015 and tracked the students for six years.
