Dual enrollment in Washington, DC, explained for parents

Who can take part

Dual enrollment in DC runs through the school a student already attends. OSSE's Dual Enrollment Consortium is open to students enrolled at an eligible DC public or public charter school and working toward a high school diploma or a GED, which takes in adult learners at member charter schools. DCPS and 27 public charter school operators belong to it, and staff at each member school help students apply.

The grade and GPA bar belongs to the college. OSSE's August 2025 chart runs from no GPA minimum at the University of the District of Columbia to a 3.25 for the youngest applicants at Northern Virginia Community College, and several colleges take students who are in ninth grade when they apply. Every applicant in grades 9 through 12 needs a cumulative GPA on the transcript.

DCPS students have a second door. DCPS runs its own program with private universities for current 10th and 11th graders with at least a 3.0 GPA, and a 10th grader can apply only to Howard.

Private and home-schooled students have no public route. OSSE's program requires enrollment at a public or public charter school, the District's regulation limits eligibility to students at schools of a DC public school system, and UDC says home-schooled students cannot join its program. Montgomery College and Prince George's Community College admit private and home-schooled high schoolers from outside their counties, and Montgomery charges them its regular tuition.

What it costs

Tuition and books are covered. OSSE says there is no cost to students or families selected for the Consortium and that it pays tuition and books, and DCPS says tuition is waived for its students in every program it lists. The District's regulation, rewritten effective January 31, 2025, goes further: no student may be charged for tuition, books, fees, or other associated costs for dual enrollment coursework.

DCPS's own pages still list costs a family can meet. In the private universities program the family pays for course materials and transportation while the university covers tuition, and the DCPS FAQ puts special course fees, such as an art materials fee, on the student. Ask the counselor in writing what your teen will pay this term, and cite the regulation if the answer includes a fee.

The number of funded courses is the limit to plan around. DCPS says OSSE will fund one 3-credit course a semester in 2026-27, with no 4-credit courses and no second course, while OSSE's own page says up to two when funding allows. Plan the year around one.

Which colleges take DC students

OSSE lists twelve colleges in the Consortium: American University, Bard College, Bay Atlantic University, the Catholic University of America's Metropolitan School of Professional Studies, George Mason University, Marymount University, Montgomery College, Northern Virginia Community College, Prince George's Community College, Trinity Washington University, the University of the District of Columbia through its CARE program, and Virginia State University. Catholic's seats are for adults working toward a GED. DCPS's list adds Bowie State and leaves out Catholic, so confirm the college with the counselor before your teen writes an application essay for it.

Each college sets its own format. OSSE posts every college's course list by term, and the formats range from in-person or virtual sections at Trinity and UDC to virtual summer courses at George Mason and Marymount.

UDC is the widest door. DCPS notes it is the only Consortium college with no minimum GPA for students in an eligible grade, and its CARE program serves students in grades 9 through 12 and GED students at partner schools at no cost.

Early college and the Advanced Technical Center

Three DCPS programs let a student finish an associate degree alongside the diploma. Bard High School Early College DC offers up to 60 transferable credits and a Bard associate degree free of charge, takes applications for grades 9 and 11, and sets no minimum GPA. The Early College Academy at Coolidge High School recommends a 3.0 and takes applications for grade 9, and both apply through My School DC. The GW Early College Program admits up to 15 School Without Walls sophomores a year into a George Washington University associate of arts cohort.

An associate degree earned in high school is a destination in its own right, and it is also the first half of a bachelor's degree for a student who wants one.

The Advanced Technical Center is a separate route for career programs. OSSE runs two, in Wards 5 and 8, where students earn high school and college credit at no cost in cybersecurity, clinical medical assistant, emergency medical technician, and nursing pathways while staying enrolled at their own high school. UDC teaches the cybersecurity courses and Trinity Washington the healthcare courses, and students entering grades 9 through 11 at any DCPS or public charter high school can enroll.

How the course counts toward the diploma

DC's graduation rule makes room for a college course. Of the 24 Carnegie units a diploma requires, at least two must include a College Level or Career Preparatory course approved by the school system, and those courses may include courses at other institutions. The dual enrollment regulation adds that schools must record dual enrollment courses, grades, and credits on the high school transcript, and may weight the grade no more than an Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate grade.

In DCPS a Consortium or private university course earns college credit only until the family files a Dual Credit Request. Early college, Advanced Technical Center, and National Education Opportunity Network courses count for both by default. High school credit takes a C or better, and the grade is weighted like an AP course.

The DCPS FAQ says a course without that request appears on the high school transcript as a placeholder with no credit, with the grade showing only on the college transcript, which sits awkwardly beside the regulation's transcript rule. File the request.

Whether the credit transfers

No DC rule settles transfer. DCPS says each college sets its own policy and that it cannot ensure credits transfer. UDC accepts courses passed with a C or better from accredited colleges, with no cap on the number of credits, though an associate degree requires the last 15 credits and a bachelor's the last 30 to be taken at UDC. Howard admits dual enrollment students as first-year applicants and accepts up to 60 transferable credit hours.

So the check runs course by course against the college your teen expects to attend, and it belongs before registration rather than after the grade is in.

What we tell families in DC

We tell DC families to start with the school's counselor, because every public route runs through the school: the Consortium through a member school, DCPS's programs through DCPS, and the early college programs through their own applications. The first question is which of those your teen's school offers this year.

We also tell them to apply every term and to plan on one funded course. OSSE asks for a new application each semester, the spring window closes at the end of September, and in 2026-27 DCPS expects OSSE to fund one course a semester. A student who wants more college credit than that should look hard at an early college program or the Advanced Technical Center, where the college work is part of the schedule.

Questions to ask your counselor

Bring these to the first meeting. The answers decide most of the plan.

• Is our school a member of OSSE's Dual Enrollment Consortium, and who here helps with the application?
• How many courses will OSSE fund for my teen this semester, one or two?
• What will we pay for materials, special course fees, or transportation?
• Will this course count toward the diploma, and has the Dual Credit Request been filed?
• Which college fits my teen's grade and GPA this term, and does it take students in that grade?
• Does this course transfer to the colleges my teen is considering?

Frequently asked

Is dual enrollment free in DC?

Tuition and books are, for students in OSSE's Consortium and DCPS's programs, and DC's 2025 regulation bars charging students tuition, books, fees, or other associated costs. DCPS pages still list course materials, special course fees, and transportation as family costs in some programs, so ask what your teen will pay.

Who is eligible for dual enrollment in DC?

Students at a DC public or public charter school that belongs to the Consortium, working toward a diploma or GED, who meet the college's grade and GPA bar. Minimums run from none at UDC to a 3.25 for younger students at NOVA. Private and home-schooled students have no public route.

When is the DC dual enrollment deadline?

Applications for spring 2027 close September 30, 2026. DCPS lists the summer 2027 window in January and February 2027 and the following fall's from March to May 2027. OSSE asks students to apply for each semester.

Can homeschooled students take dual enrollment in DC?

Not through a public program. OSSE's Consortium requires enrollment at a public or public charter school, and UDC says home-schooled students cannot join its CARE program. Montgomery College and Prince George's Community College admit home-schooled students from outside their counties, and Montgomery charges its regular tuition.

Does dual enrollment count toward a DC high school diploma?

It can. DC requires two Carnegie units of College Level or Career Preparatory coursework, which may be taken at a college. In DCPS, Consortium and private university courses count toward the diploma only after a Dual Credit Request, and high school credit takes a C or better.

What is the OSSE Dual Enrollment Consortium?

OSSE's program, begun in 2018, that places students from member DC public and charter schools in approved courses at twelve colleges and pays their tuition and books. In 2023-24, 458 students took 612 courses through it at 13 colleges.