On this page
DC's program runs on OSSE's statutory powers and the regulation adopted under them. D.C. Code 38-2602 gives OSSE its rulemaking power and lets it fund dual enrollment through grants and scholarships. 5-A DCMR Chapter 24, rewritten effective January 31, 2025, sets eligibility, requires an approved partnership agreement, and bars charging students for tuition, books, or fees.
The law at a glance
| Who can enroll | Students at a participating DC public or public charter school working toward a secondary credential. A college need not admit a student unless the partnership agreement says so. 5-A DCMR Chapter 24 |
|---|---|
| Who pays | No student may be charged for tuition, books, fees, or other associated costs of dual enrollment coursework. 5-A DCMR Chapter 24, § 2403.1 |
| Limits | OSSE pays tuition and books for up to two three-credit courses a semester, depending on funding. DCPS says the 2026-27 cycle funds one. OSSE Dual Enrollment Opportunities |
| Deadlines | A school system's partnership agreement needs OSSE approval at least 45 days before the program starts. 5-A DCMR Chapter 24 |
| How the grade counts | At least two of the 24 Carnegie units required to graduate must include an approved college-level or career preparatory course, which may be taken at a college. 5-A DCMR § 2203.3(c) |
This page shows where each rule lives and what it decides. It is not legal advice: the district and the college apply these rules, and the agencies listed below publish the state's own reading of them. For what the program costs in practice and how to apply, start at Dual enrollment in Washington, DC.
The statute
D.C. Code § 38-2602(b)(11), (29), and (29A)
Responsibilities of the Office of the State Superintendent of Education . Paragraphs (b)(11), (b)(29)(C), and (b)(29A)(A)(i).
The powers the program runs on. Paragraph (b)(11) is OSSE's power to make the rules it needs to carry out its functions, and it is the authority the dual enrollment chapter of the regulations names. Paragraph (b)(29), added in 2017, lets OSSE make grants from the funds it administers to schools, colleges, and other providers to widen access to postsecondary education, with dual enrollment programs named among them. Paragraph (b)(29A), added in 2021, lets it award scholarships and financial help for tuition, fees, books, and other costs, with dual enrollment programs first in the list. Each is a power rather than a duty, which is why the number of courses OSSE pays for can change from one year to the next.
D.C. Code § 38-2612.01(b)
CTE and dual enrollment reporting .
The reporting duty, added in 2024. OSSE had to publish by December 1, 2024 what it spent through the Dual Enrollment Consortium the year before, which colleges it paid and how much, and how many students took part, by school, ward, and student group, with schools supplying the data. The report posted under it covers 2023-24: 458 students, 612 courses, and more than $616,000 in tuition at 13 colleges.
D.C. Code § 38-2652(a)(3)
Functions of the State Board of Education .
The State Board of Education's power to approve high school graduation requirements, and the reason the rule that lets a college course count toward the diploma carries the Board's approval. In May 2026 the Board told OSSE it supports a separate dual enrollment endorsement on the diploma; the rewrite of the graduation rule had not been adopted when this page was checked.
The administrative rule
5-A DCMR Chapter 24
Dual Enrollment Program Regulations . Sections 2400 to 2404 and 2499, effective January 31, 2025.
The document that carries the program. It defines dual enrollment as an eligible DC high school or adult education student taking an approved college course for college credit while working toward a secondary credential, in person, online, or both, and it bars any school system or college from running a program except under the chapter. A student must attend a school of a participating DC public or public charter school system. Each program needs a partnership agreement in a form OSSE sets, a school system's agreement needs OSSE's approval at least 45 days before the program starts, and a college does not have to admit a student unless the agreement says so. Section 2403.1 is the sentence to bring to a counselor: no student shall be charged for tuition, books, fees, or other associated costs.
5-A DCMR § 2203.3(c)
Graduation requirements, College Level or Career Preparatory courses .
Where a college course enters the diploma. Of the 24 Carnegie units required to graduate, 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. A Carnegie unit is 120 hours of classroom instruction over a year, and no DC rule says how many units a three-credit college course earns, so that answer comes from the school system.
Who pays, and under what authority
Dual Enrollment Consortium, 2023-24
OSSE, Dual Enrollment Consortium participation and spending .
What the money buys. In 2023-24, 458 students took 612 college courses worth more than $616,000 in tuition at 13 colleges. The amount is set in each year's budget rather than by a formula, so the Consortium's size can move with it.
The agreement between the school and the college
Consortium memoranda of agreement
OSSE memoranda of agreement with colleges and school systems .
The partnership agreements the regulation requires, in the form OSSE uses for the Consortium: memoranda among OSSE, each participating college, and each participating school system, described in OSSE's list as serving as the Dual Enrollment Partnership Agreement under the chapter, at no cost to the school system. The agreements themselves are not published, so the terms a college applies are read off OSSE's eligibility chart and course lists.
Agency guidance
OSSE Dual Enrollment Opportunities
Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Dual Enrollment Opportunities .
OSSE's own statement of the program: built in 2018 with school systems and colleges in the Washington area, open to students at an eligible DC public or public charter school working toward a diploma or GED, at no cost to families, with tuition and books paid for up to two three-credit courses a semester depending on funding. DCPS says the 2026-27 cycle funds one.
How it got here
DC had no dual enrollment regulation until 2012: the Public Charter School Board noted that May that the District had no rules for it, and OSSE's first Chapter 24 took effect on September 28, 2012. The Council gave OSSE grant authority naming dual enrollment in 2017, OSSE formed the Consortium in 2018 after charter schools struggled to find college partners, and the Council added scholarship authority in 2021 and a public reporting duty in 2024. OSSE rewrote Chapter 24 effective January 31, 2025.
Who administers it
These are the offices that answer a question about Washington, DC law rather than about one school or one campus. A district and a college can both be wrong about a state rule, and these pages are where the state's own position is published.
- Office of the State Superintendent of Education, dual enrollment · Runs the Consortium, writes the regulation, approves partnership agreements, and pays the colleges.
- District of Columbia Public Schools, dual enrollment · Runs its own routes for DCPS students and decides whether a course counts toward the DCPS diploma.
- Council of the District of Columbia, D.C. Code Title 38 · Publishes the Code sections that hold OSSE's powers and its reporting duty.
- DC Register and Municipal Regulations · Publishes Chapter 24 and its rulemaking history, including the January 2025 rewrite.
Frequently asked
What law does DC dual enrollment run under?
OSSE's regulation, 5-A DCMR Chapter 24, adopted under OSSE's rulemaking power in D.C. Code 38-2602(b)(11). The same section lets OSSE pay for dual enrollment through grants and scholarships. None of it entitles a student to a seat, so the number of courses funded depends on the year's money.
Can a DC school or college charge for dual enrollment?
The regulation says no student shall be charged for tuition, books, fees, or other associated costs for dual enrollment coursework. DCPS pages still list course materials and transportation as family costs in some programs, so ask for any charge in writing and cite section 2403.1.
Does the college have to admit my teen?
No. Under section 2402.3 a college does not have to admit or enroll a student unless the partnership agreement says so, and each college sets its own grade and GPA requirements.
Will the grade appear on the high school transcript?
The regulation says schools shall record dual enrollment courses, grades, and credits on the transcript. DCPS's FAQ says that without a Dual Credit Request the grade appears only on the college transcript, so file the request if the course should be on the high school record.
How does a college course count toward a DC diploma?
Under 5-A DCMR 2203.3(c), at least two of the 24 Carnegie units must include a College Level or Career Preparatory course approved by the school system, and those may be taken at a college. How many units a college course earns is for the school system to decide.
Sources
- D.C. Code § 38-2602, responsibilities of OSSE · the rulemaking power at (b)(11), grants naming dual enrollment at (b)(29), and scholarships naming it at (b)(29A)
- D.C. Code § 38-2612.01, CTE and dual enrollment reporting · the December 1, 2024 reporting duty
- D.C. Code § 38-2652, functions of the State Board of Education · approval of graduation requirements
- 5-A DCMR Chapter 24, Dual Enrollment Program Regulations · definition, eligibility, partnership agreements, no charge to students, transcript, weighting, and reporting
- Notice of Final Rulemaking, 5-A DCMR Chapter 24, January 31, 2025 · the rewrite, its adoption, and its effective date
- Notice of Final Rulemaking, 5-A DCMR Chapter 24, September 28, 2012 · the first dual enrollment regulation
- 5-A DCMR § 2203, graduation requirements · the College Level or Career Preparatory requirement
- OSSE, memoranda of understanding and agreement, as of January 2025 · Consortium memoranda serving as the partnership agreements, and the 2017 working group
- OSSE, Dual Enrollment Opportunities · the Consortium since 2018, eligibility, and funding for up to two courses a semester
- OSSE, Dual Enrollment Consortium 2023-24 report · students, courses, spending, and colleges in 2023-24
- DCPS, OSSE Consortium Dual Enrollment · one funded course a semester in 2026-27
- DCPS, dual enrollment frequently asked questions · the transcript placeholder without a Dual Credit Request
- DC Public Charter School Board, proposed dual enrollment regulations, May 2012 · no dual enrollment regulations before 2012
- Deputy Mayor for Education, Strengthening Student Access and Success in Dual Enrollment, December 2023 · the Consortium formed in 2018 because small charter schools could not find college partners
- State Board of Education, letter to OSSE on graduation requirements, May 29, 2026 · support for a separate dual enrollment endorsement
Rules change. These were checked September 2026. Confirm the current version with your school before you act on any of it.
Reading the Washington, DC rules with a decision in front of you?
Save this page and the citations sit next to the state's deadlines on your own My FastTrack page; the Washington, DC guide saves separately. Which courses to take, in which order, so the credits still count at the college your teen ends up at, is the part we do with families.