Dual enrollment in Florida: the law behind it

The statute

Fla. Stat. § 1007.271

Dual enrollment programs .

The section that defines the program and pays for it. Dual enrollment means enrollment in a postsecondary course that counts toward high school completion and toward a career certificate or an associate or baccalaureate degree, and an eligible secondary student is one in grades six through twelve at a Florida public school or a compliant private school. The fee exemption is here: a dual enrollment student is exempt from registration, tuition, and laboratory fees. So is the limit that a student may not register for a course scheduled to finish after they graduate.

The administrative rule

Fla. Admin. Code R. 6A-14.064

College Credit Dual Enrollment .

The State Board of Education rule that turns the statute into an admissions decision. A student has to meet the grade point average the statute sets for the degree or certificate program chosen, and has to demonstrate readiness for college-level work. The rule lets a Florida College System institution use alternatives to the common placement test, and it requires that both those alternatives and any process for granting a GPA exception be written into the articulation agreement rather than decided case by case.

The agreement between the school and the college

Dual enrollment articulation agreement

Florida Department of Education, dual enrollment and transfer .

Under the statute, every district superintendent and Florida College System institution president develops a comprehensive dual enrollment articulation agreement for their pair. That document is where the local answers live: which courses are offered, which alternative placement measures the college accepts, how a GPA exception is handled, and who buys the textbooks. Two counties an hour apart can run noticeably different programs under the same statute because of it.

Agency guidance

FLDOE dual enrollment FAQ

Florida Department of Education, dual enrollment frequently asked questions .

The department’s plain-language answers on eligibility, cost, and how home education and private school students take part. It is the quickest way to check whether a charge a college has quoted is one the fee exemption covers, and it names the statute and rule behind each answer so a family can go to the source.

Who administers it

These are the offices that answer a question about Florida 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.

• Florida Department of Education · Publishes the articulation agreement framework and the statewide guidance.
• Florida Administrative Code, Rule 6A-14.064 · The State Board of Education rule as the Department of State publishes it.
• Florida Legislature, Statute 1007.271 · The statute itself, including the fee exemption a family can cite.

Frequently asked

Does Florida start dual enrollment in 6th grade?

The statute defines an eligible secondary student as one enrolled in any of grades six through twelve. Whether a college will admit a middle schooler is a separate question answered by the articulation agreement and the readiness requirement.

Which document decides what a family pays?

The statute. Section 1007.271 exempts a dual enrollment student from registration, tuition, and laboratory fees. Textbooks and other items are handled in the articulation agreement.

Can a college waive the GPA requirement?

Rule 6A-14.064 allows exceptions on an individual basis, and requires the procedure for granting them to be written into the district’s articulation agreement.

Why can a course be refused because of a graduation date?

The statute bars a student from registering through dual enrollment for a course that finishes after the student is projected to graduate from high school.