Dual Enrollment

Dual Enrollment (DE) is a Georgia funded program that allows high school students to take college courses that can simultaneously count toward high school and college requirements. 

• Attend an eligible public, private, or home school high school in Georgia

• Be enrolled in 10th, 11th or 12th grade

  • • 10th grade students can participate in DE by enrolling in eligible CTAE courses at a Technical College (TCSG)

    • 10th graders must have a HOPE GPA of 3.5, a score of 1250 on the SAT or a composite 25 on the ACT, to be eligible to apply for enrollment in any participating TCSG or University System of Georgia (USG) to be able take any approved DE courses.

    • 11th and 12th grade students must have a HOPE GPA of 3.0 or higher, score 1050 on the SAT or a Composite score of 20 on the ACT for enrollment in any USG DE program.

• Be a Georgia resident (no additional citizenship required)

• Meet college admissions requirements for their DE program

• Be on track for graduation

• Be in good academic standing

• Must not have already received a high school diploma

• Eligible students receive 100% funding, up to 30 semester hours/45 quarter hours program Funding Cap, for:

  • Tuition

  • Books

  • Mandatory fees

• Funding pays for approved core courses (English, Math, Science, Social Studies, World/Foreign Languages) and Career Technical Agricultural Educational (CTAE) classes that are aligned with identified career pathways.)

• The funding is paid directly to the college. The award chart for Dual Enrollment can be found on GAFutures.

• Impact on HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarships and Grants Eligibility

• Core credits earned and posted on the high school transcript are calculated into the student’s initial HOPE GPA, as described on GAFutures.

• Credit Hours paid for by DE are not counted toward the Attempted Hours or Combined Attempted Hours limit for HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarship at the college level.

• When considering Dual Enrollment (DE), students and parents should understand the characteristics of students who are successful in college classes. Students who are considering the DE program need to be:

  • Organized

  • Willing, eager, and able to take initiative

  • Mature

  • A self-advocate

  • Flexible

  • Good at managing your time 

  • Eligible for admission to the college

  • Have reliable transportation and parking at both the college and high school

  • Respond to and initiate communications with the college and high school in a timely manner (within 24 hours or less)

• All GA public, private, and eligible home school students are eligible in 11th and 12th grade.

• All 10th graders can take CTAE courses. 10th graders who have earned a 1200 on the SAT or 26 on the ACT in one sitting can participate fully in the DE program.

• Tuition, books, and mandatory fees are 100% covered up to a funding cap of 30 semester hours/45 quarter hours.

• Potential for simultaneous credit for high school and college

• College credits are not based on a test score (like AP/IB)

• Can ease the transition from high school to college

• Students can earn an Associates Degree, Technical Diploma, or Technical Certifications

• Students can start pursuing career goals earlier

• Greater access to a larger variety of courses

• More flexibility in scheduling

• Some students are truly ready to “Move On” (When Ready)

• EOCs are only required for students taking Biology the first time and High School Option B students. 

• College courses come back to the high school as a letter grade and are transcribed by county policy.  For example: 

  • A=98 

  • B=85 

  • C=75 

  • D=70

  • F=65

• There may be some non-mandatory fees such as:  parking, course specific fees, lab materials, personal items, etc. – these are usually nominal.

• Challenging classes taught by college professors

• Colleges communicate directly with student, usually via email

• Some competitive colleges may not consider DE to be as rigorous as AP (see below for more information)

• Credit transferability is not guaranteed, especially for out-of-state and private colleges

• Students may miss high school announcements and activities

• Lack of daily interaction with friends may impact relationships, involvement, etc.

• Students will be in class with college students, as well as older adults

• College and high school calendars (thus, breaks) often DO NOT align

• Professors are unlikely to excuse absences for trips, playoff games, etc.

• Special Student Services must be arranged by the student/parent directly with the college (504, IEP, Healthcare Plans, etc.)

• Please speak with your case manager PRIOR to pursuing this option to determine appropriateness of DE

• College accommodations can be different than high school accommodations

• Parking is NOT always guaranteed at the college

• Students at some high school are required to be off campus during their scheduled DE classes – INCLUDING ONLINE classes

• Student must factor in travel time, traffic, changing bell schedules, etc.

• The two schedules might “clash,” resulting in adjustments; sometimes conflicts are unresolvable. Students should schedule DE courses around their high school schedules

• DE courses and AP/IB courses are viewed differently by each college and university. Some colleges have no preference. Some may prefer one over the other. Most competitive colleges determine rigor by evaluating what options are available to the student within the high school; therefore, for some high schools, DE may be a strong choice but for others, it may not be if students have many options available to them at the high school.

• It is the student/parent responsibility to verify college preferences/admissions/degree requirements for their schools of interest before deciding to participate in the DE program.

• As it is with AP/IB courses, DE courses may or may not be accepted by every college or meet requirements for certain degree programs.

1. Watch the DCSS District Virtual Dual Enrollment Meeting. (at the top of this page)

2. Complete the NMHS Dual Enrollment Meeting Form.

3. Complete the Dual Enrollment Contract.

4. Research the college that you are interested in attending for Dual Enrollment. This includes admissions requirements, procedures, and application deadlines. It is the STUDENT'S responsibility to research the impact of rigor as viewed by the college that they choose to apply to, day-to-day logistics (especially for face-to-face classes), course transferability, etc.

5. Take the SAT, ACT, or ACCUPLACER exam and submit the scores to the college.

6. The ACCUPLACER must be scheduled directly with the college's testing center.

7. Some colleges will exempt applicants from submitting test scores if the student has a qualifying HOPE GPA as determined by the School Counselor.

8. Submit college application and additional materials as determined by the college.

9. Submit the Dual Enrollment Funding Application.

10. After being accepted, email your counselor to schedule a Dual Enrollment advisement meeting. During this meeting, we will discuss graduation requirements, DE courses, and required forms.

11. Register for your classes and inform your school counselor of your choices EACH semester.

Students in Douglas County most frequently attend the colleges below for DE. Click on the links below to view their DE webpages (Disclaimer: DCSS deadlines vary from each college. You must follow the DCSS deadlines unless the college deadline is earlier.)

West Georgia Technical College

Georgia Highlands College

University of West Georgia

When a student's Dual Enrollment funding has been exhausted (30 credit hours), students/families may choose to self-pay for their Dual Enrollment courses.  The following conditions apply:

• The college will charge the student tuition, fees, and books based on credit hours of enrollment not covered by Dual Enrollment funding.

• Must complete the Self-Pay Approval form provided by your counselor.

• The self-pay portion still needs to come from the approved DE course directory.