Dual Enrollment in Georgia: the law behind it

The statute

O.C.G.A. § 20-2-161.3

Dual Enrollment Act . As amended by House Bill 444 (2020).

The Act that created the program and the 2020 bill that reshaped it. It requires a participating eligible high school to grant secondary credit to a student who completes a dual credit course at an eligible postsecondary institution, and to count that credit toward a comparable required course, a career and technical course, or an elective. House Bill 444 is the amendment that capped funded participation at 30 semester hours and narrowed the program largely to juniors and seniors, which is why Georgia material written before 2020 describes a program that no longer exists. Its definition of an eligible high school student begins at tenth grade, and the only ninth grade in the section is a grandfather clause for students the state had already paid for on or before June 30, 2020, so a Georgia freshman is outside the program rather than inside it unfunded.

The administrative rule

Dual Enrollment Program Regulations 1600, 2025-2026

Georgia Student Finance Commission, Dual Enrollment regulations .

The regulations the Commission adopts each award year under the Act, and the document that answers most disputes. They set who qualifies, which courses draw funding, how the 30-hour cap is counted against a student, and what the state pays a college per credit hour. Because they are reissued annually, the year on the cover matters: a rule that applied to a sophomore two years ago may not apply to a junior now.

Who pays, and under what authority

Dual Enrollment funding and award amounts

GAfutures, funding and award amounts .

What the state actually pays and what it stops paying. The 30-hour lifetime cap and the per-term hour limit are stated here in the form a family can plan against, which matters because a student who crosses the cap mid-degree does not lose the seat, only the funding. Checking the running hour total before registering for a spring term is the practical use of this page.

Agency guidance

Dual Enrollment frequently asked questions

GAfutures, Dual Enrollment FAQ .

The Commission’s answers on grade eligibility, the test requirement that applies to a 10th grader, and how home study and private school students take part. It is the fastest route to whether a particular student is eligible this year, and it names the regulation behind each answer.

How it got here

The program was added in 2009 and ran for a decade as Move On When Ready. House Bill 444, passed in 2020, renamed it, limited funded participation to 30 credit hours, and restricted eligibility largely to juniors and seniors. Georgia guidance published under the old name describes different rules, so the date on a document matters as much as its source.

Who administers it

These are the offices that answer a question about Georgia 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.

• Georgia Student Finance Commission · Adopts the annual program regulations and pays the colleges.
• GAfutures, Dual Enrollment · The state portal where a family applies and tracks funded hours.
• Georgia General Assembly · Where the Dual Enrollment Act and its amendments are published.

Frequently asked

Why is the statute linked to a bill rather than a code section?

Georgia does not publish its code free on a state domain. The General Assembly does publish the Dual Enrollment Act as passed, so that is the official text a family can open without a subscription.

Where does the 30-hour cap come from?

From the 2020 amendment, applied each year through the Student Finance Commission regulations. The funding and award amounts page states it in the form a family can plan against.

Does the high school have to accept the credit?

The Act requires a participating eligible high school to grant secondary credit for a completed dual credit course, counted toward a comparable required course, a career and technical course, or an elective.

Are the regulations the same every year?

No. The Commission reissues them each award year, and details such as eligible courses and rates can move. Check the year printed on the version being quoted.