Guides · State programs · By FastTrack Advising

Concurrent Enrollment in Utah, explained for parents

Published September 17, 2026

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Concurrent Enrollment is Utah's dual enrollment program: a high school student takes a college course for both high school and college credit and pays $5 per credit hour, so a three-credit course costs $15. Each Utah college sets its own admission standard, often a 3.0 GPA plus a placement score. Most courses are taught inside the high school.

Who: High school students admitted by a participating Utah college
Tuition: $5 per credit hour, so $15 for a three-credit course
Family also pays: Textbooks and materials, plus any school fees the high school collects
Typical entrance bar: A 3.0 high school GPA at Utah Tech, with placement scores on some courses
Credit ceiling: 30 credit hours a school year at Utah Tech, 15 in a semester
Runs through: Utah State Board of Education with the Utah Board of Higher Education

What Concurrent Enrollment costs

Tuition is $5 a credit hour, which makes a three-credit course $15 and a four-credit course $20. That rate is current practice at every institution in the Utah System of Higher Education, and it is a choice rather than a ceiling, because Utah Code 53E-10-305 permits a charge of up to $30 a credit hour. The Legislature put $23.4 million into the program for fiscal year 2026, and that appropriation is what holds the student share down.

Books are the part the $5 does not cover. Textbooks, workbooks, and any inclusive-access electronic materials are the family's, and some sections carry school fees the high school collects separately. At Salt Lake Community College, a student attending a private school that holds an SLCC contract pays an added amount on top of the $5.

We ask Utah families to price the textbook before they price the course, because the $5 is the part the state holds down and the book is whatever the publisher charges. The savings are still large. In the 2024 school year more than 56,000 Utah students, about 26 percent of the state's high schoolers, earned over 443,000 credit hours this way, at an average saving near $950 on a three-credit course.

Who can enroll

Utah does not set one statewide bar. Each college and university writes its own, and your teen has to clear the one at the institution whose name will sit on the transcript. Utah Tech University asks for a 3.0 high school GPA, enrollment at an approved state-funded public or charter high school, at least one class taken at that resident high school, and counselor approval through the student's Career and College Readiness Plan.

Salt Lake Community College starts from a different place. The high school itself has to hold a concurrent enrollment contract with SLCC, the school may set a minimum GPA of its own, and individual courses can require an ACT score or the SLCC placement test. A student who has graduated early, or whose original expected graduation date has passed, is no longer eligible. At Utah Valley University a math course requires a proctored ALEKS score before registration opens.

Registration is two steps, and families finish one and stop more often than you would expect. A parent signs an online permission form through the high school, and then the student registers with the college that offers the course. Skipping the second step leaves a teen sitting in a class that earns high school credit only.

Where the course happens and who teaches it

Most concurrent enrollment in Utah happens inside the high school building during the regular school day, taught by a high school teacher the college has approved to deliver its course. That arrangement is why the $5 works, and it is also why what your school offers depends on which of its teachers hold the credential.

Other formats fill the gaps. Utah Valley University runs Live Interactive sections taught by UVU faculty, and Utah Tech offers concurrent enrollment on its own campus and online as well as at the high school. On-campus sections at Salt Lake Community College carry their own fees, so the delivery format changes the bill as well as the schedule.

How many credits, and what lands on the transcript

Utah Tech caps a student at 30 concurrent enrollment credit hours in one school year and 15 in a semester, and summer terms sit outside the concurrent enrollment funding. A full year at that ceiling is a year of college, which is a real plan for a student aiming at an associate degree and a heavy load for one still building study habits.

Every course lands on an official transcript at the college that awarded it and behaves like any other course there. Utah Valley University will not let a student repeat a concurrent enrollment course once a letter grade is posted or an official withdrawal is recorded, so a rough first semester travels with the student into the college application.

Does the credit transfer inside Utah?

Within the Utah System of Higher Education it usually moves well, and the cleanest version is the whole block. Utah State University waives all breadth general education for a student who arrives with a conferred Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, or Associate of Arts and Sciences from a USHE public institution. An Associate of Applied Science does not get that waiver, and those courses are reviewed one at a time.

That is an argument for finishing something rather than collecting pieces. A student who uses concurrent enrollment to complete an associate degree at Snow College, Salt Lake Community College, or Utah Tech walks into a Utah public university with general education behind them, and the degree holds value on its own. Universities outside Utah and private colleges decide for themselves, one course at a time, and that review belongs before the senior-year course list is set.

Why the district cares how a course is staffed

State money follows the instructor. When a high school teacher delivers the college course, 60 percent of the appropriation goes to the school district and 40 percent to the college. When college faculty teach it, the split flips to 40 percent for the district and 60 percent for the college, under Utah Code 53F-2-409.

That explains a conversation some families have already had without knowing the reason. A high school that has credentialed its own teachers has a financial motive to fill its own sections, and a college with faculty capacity has one to bring students onto campus. Neither motive is improper, and knowing it exists makes the counselor meeting easier to read.

Questions to ask your counselor

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

Which colleges does our high school hold a concurrent enrollment contract with, and what does each one require for admission?
Which of our teachers are approved to teach concurrent enrollment, and in which subjects?
Which concurrent enrollment courses here count toward graduation requirements, and which are electives?
What will a course cost us beyond the $5 a credit hour, once books and school fees are added?
Which courses need an ACT, ALEKS, or placement score, and when is that test given here?
If my teen wants an associate degree by graduation, what does that sequence look like from this school?

Frequently asked

Is concurrent enrollment free in Utah?

Close to it. Students pay $5 per credit hour, so about $15 for a three-credit course, plus textbooks and any required materials. Utah Code 53E-10-305 permits a charge of up to $30 a credit hour, so the $5 is current practice rather than a guarantee.

What GPA do you need for concurrent enrollment in Utah?

It depends on the college. Utah Tech University requires a 3.0 high school GPA. Salt Lake Community College leaves the minimum to the high school and adds placement requirements on some courses. Check the awarding college before assuming a number.

Is concurrent enrollment the same as dual enrollment in Utah?

Yes. Concurrent enrollment is what Utah calls dual enrollment, and it is the phrase the state board, the colleges, and your teen's counselor will all use.

How many concurrent enrollment credits can a Utah student take in a year?

Utah Tech University allows 30 credit hours in a school year and 15 in a semester, with summer outside the program. Other institutions set their own ceilings, so ask the college awarding the credit.

Do Utah concurrent enrollment credits transfer?

Inside the Utah System of Higher Education they generally do, and a conferred Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, or Associate of Arts and Sciences waives all breadth general education at Utah State University. Colleges outside Utah decide for themselves.

Who teaches concurrent enrollment courses in Utah?

Usually a high school teacher the college has approved to teach its course, in the high school building. Utah Valley University also runs Live Interactive sections taught by UVU faculty, and some courses are offered on the college campus or online.

Sources

Utah State Board of Education, Early College · what concurrent enrollment is and the two-part registration
Utah Legislature, A Head Start: Getting Current with Concurrent Enrollment · the $5 practice, the $30 statutory cap, participation, savings, and the funding split
Salt Lake Community College, Concurrent Enrollment cost · $5 a credit hour, books, and the private-school charge
Salt Lake Community College, Concurrent Enrollment admission · the school contract requirement and placement scores
Utah Valley University, Concurrent Enrollment for students · the UVU transcript, the repeat rule, ALEKS, and Live Interactive sections
Utah Tech University, Concurrent Enrollment eligibility · the 3.0 GPA and the 30-credit annual ceiling
Utah State University, transfer of associate degrees · breadth general education waived for a conferred AA, AS, or AAS

Rules change. These were checked September 2026. Confirm the current version with your school before you act on any of it.

About FastTrack Advising

FastTrack Advising. FastTrack Advising works on dual enrollment and nothing else. We help families choose college courses a high schooler can take now that will still count toward the degree later, we check every course against the transfer rules of the colleges they name, and we stay in the picture through registration so the plan gets used. When the answer for a student is to wait a term, we say that too.

Other state programs

All state programs

PSEO (Minnesota) Free tuition, books, and required fees for 10th through 12th graders, with a May 30 notice deadline that many families miss.
Running Start (Washington) Tuition-free college courses for juniors and seniors at Washington's community and technical colleges and a few universities. Families still pay fees and books, and the student gets to campus on their own.
College Credit Plus (Ohio) Open to 7th through 12th graders, free at Ohio public colleges for public school students, with an April 1 letter of intent and a 30-credit annual cap.
Dual credit (Texas) Each college sets its rate and each district decides how much to cover. Students who qualified for free or reduced lunch in the last five years pay nothing at colleges in the FAST program.
Dual enrollment (Florida) Tuition-free by state law, with a 3.0 unweighted GPA and a qualifying PERT, SAT, or ACT score to get in. Public school students get textbooks covered too.
Dual enrollment (California) Community college courses for 9th through 12th graders through a district partnership called CCAP, with no enrollment fees and no textbook costs, capped at 15 units a term.
Dual Enrollment (Georgia) State funding covers tuition, fees, and books for 30 semester hours, mostly for juniors and seniors. After 30 hours the family pays the college's rate, and ninth graders are outside the program entirely.
Career & College Promise (North Carolina) Tuition paid by the state at community colleges for juniors and seniors with a 2.8 unweighted GPA. Whether the district covers fees and books, and who drives, varies by district.
Concurrent Enrollment (Colorado) Open to 9th through 12th graders with an approved academic plan. The district pays tuition at the community college rate; books and fees are usually the family's, and so is getting to campus.
Dual credit (Illinois) Governed by the Dual Credit Quality Act and a model agreement between each district and college. Whether your teen pays depends on that agreement.
Early College Credit and Start College Now (Wisconsin) Two programs, one for the technical colleges and one for universities, both for juniors and seniors. The district pays most or all of the tuition, and applications are due March 1 for fall and October 1 for spring.
Dual credit (Indiana) Every Indiana high school has to offer dual credit. Priority courses at public colleges cost at most $25 a credit hour, and nothing for students on free or reduced lunch.
Dual enrollment (Michigan) Grades 9 through 12, for courses the high school doesn't offer. The district pays tuition up to a state-set share; anything above it, plus books, is yours. Ten courses across high school.
Dual Enrollment (Alabama) Rising 10th through 12th graders with a 2.5 GPA, at $133 a credit hour plus fees, with a state scholarship that covers some courses when the legislature funds it. No credit cap at all.
Dual Enrollment (Tennessee) The lottery-funded Dual Enrollment Grant pays up to $620.55 for each of the first five courses, then much less. One June 30 application covers the whole academic year.
Dual enrollment (Pennsylvania) Every school entity has to hold at least one dual credit agreement, and none of them has to pay for the courses. The agreement states the cost, and published rates run from $83.50 to $230 a credit.
Dual enrollment (Virginia) Juniors and seniors at the community colleges. Courses on a College and Career Ready Virginia pathway cost the family nothing, and courses outside it are billed at the college rate.
Dual enrollment (Arizona) A community college course taught inside the high school during the school day. Concurrent enrollment is the separate arrangement where the student goes to the college. Price is set district by district.
Dual enrollment (South Carolina) College courses through the state's 16 technical colleges, priced by each college and district, with Lottery Tuition Assistance covering part of the tuition once a student carries six credit hours in a term.
Dual enrollment (Louisiana) A Board of Regents floor for eligibility, four ways to clear it, and a bill the district assembles out of state and federal funds. TOPS Tech Early Start covers career courses for juniors and seniors.
Dual enrollment (Maryland) The Blueprint moved the bill off families for students who meet the College and Career Readiness Standard, and set a floor of two covered courses each fall and spring. Counties add their own terms on top.
Concurrent Enrollment (Oklahoma) Juniors and seniors get tuition waived by the State Regents, 18 credit hours a year for seniors and 9 for juniors. Fees and books stay with the family, and each college sets its own entrance bar.
Dual enrollment (New York) No single statewide program. CUNY's College Now is free for New York City public school students, SUNY campuses price their own, and a new state rule makes districts file their partnership agreements in 2026.
Dual enrollment (Massachusetts) Two state programs. CDEP waives tuition and fees at public campuses for eligible high schoolers, mostly in the spring, and designated Early College builds the courses into the school day at no cost.
Concurrent Enrollment (Iowa) College courses run through a district contract with a community college, at no tuition cost to the family. Iowa also runs PSEO, and the two programs treat a failed course differently.
Concurrent Credit (Arkansas) State policy bars a college from billing the family for tuition, fees, or materials on a concurrent credit course. A 2025 scholarship replaced the old Concurrent Challenge grant and pays $65 a credit hour.
Dual Enrollment and Dual Credit (Mississippi) Mississippi separates the two terms in statute. Dual enrollment earns college credit only; dual credit earns high school credit too, and the distinction decides whether the course helps your teen graduate.
Dual Enrollment (Nebraska) Nebraska has no single statewide program, so the price depends on which college your high school partners with. The ACE scholarship covers tuition and mandatory fees for students who qualify on income.
Dual Credit (New Mexico) A statewide program where the college charges no tuition and the school district buys the books. Families pay special course fees and transportation, and the guidance is two courses a semester until graduation requirements are done.
Early College (Maine) Maine pays college tuition for high schoolers through the Aspirations Program, and the class of 2027 forward gets 18 tuition-free credits for the whole of high school.
Dual and Concurrent Enrollment (New Hampshire) The state and the community colleges cover two courses a year for students in grades 10 through 12, and most of those courses are taught inside the high school.
Dual Enrollment (Vermont) Two vouchers, each covering tuition on a college course of up to four credits, for any Vermont student who has finished grade 10, including home study students.
Dual credit (West Virginia) A state-funded pilot pays tuition and academic fees for courses on approved career pathways, for public, private, charter, microschool, learning pod, and homeschool students alike.
Dual enrollment (Delaware) No statewide program makes it free. State regulation puts the policy on every district and charter, bars turning a student away over money, and most courses run through Delaware Tech.
Dual enrollment (New Jersey) No statewide free tuition. Public colleges must sign dual enrollment agreements and districts choose whether to join, so the price and the eligibility rules come from your own county college.
Dual enrollment (Connecticut) A board policy rather than a statute sets the rules. Concurrent credit courses are capped at $50 a credit, CT State covers two courses a semester for qualifying juniors and seniors, and UConn ECE has run since 1955.
Accelerated learning (Oregon) Oregon calls the whole category accelerated learning. Dual credit at the high school is free or close to it at most community colleges, and Expanded Options moves a junior or senior onto a campus at no charge to the student.
Dual enrollment (Nevada) No statewide free tuition. Districts sign cooperative agreements with NSHE colleges and each agreement names who pays, so the price runs from $25 a credit at the high school to $154 on a university campus.
Concurrent enrollment (Kansas) Concurrent enrollment means the college course is taught at the high school, and it is not free by default. Excel in CTE pays tuition for approved technical courses, and a district board may cover the rest if it chooses to.
Dual Credit (Kentucky) A $99 ceiling on what a college may charge a high school student, and a state scholarship that pays that rate for one general education course a year.
Dual Credit (Missouri) Missouri draws a line between dual credit and dual enrollment based on who teaches, and the price and the GPA tier both follow from that.
Dual Credit (Idaho) Every Idaho public school student gets $4,625 to spend on college credit between grades 7 and 12, and the fund pays $75 a credit, which is what colleges charge.
Dual Credit (North Dakota) Tuition is the family's here, at a reduced rate that changes with who teaches the course, and Bank of North Dakota covers two courses a year for students on free or reduced lunch.
Dual Credit (South Dakota) Juniors and seniors split a deeply reduced tuition rate with the state, at $80.37 a credit hour, under a statute with a hard rule about what happens if a course goes badly.
Dual and Concurrent Enrollment (Rhode Island) A state fund covers tuition and fees for part-time college courses at the three public institutions, and the statute behind it caps that fund at whatever the budget appropriates each year.
Early College and Running Start (Hawaii) Two programs run off one statute that never says who pays. Early College comes to the high school and the school usually covers it; Running Start puts the student on a UH campus at that campus’s published rate.
Dual Enrollment (Alaska) No state program and no state money behind it. What a college course costs an Alaska family depends on which University of Alaska campus offers it and whether the school district signed an agreement.
Dual Enrollment (Montana) The first two courses or six credits carry no tuition anywhere in the Montana University System, fees are waived, and everything after that costs half of resident two-year tuition, around $60 a credit.
Dual and Concurrent Enrollment (Wyoming) State law bars a college from charging a participating student for textbooks, materials, student services, or any other fee, and from 2026-27 the state starts reimbursing districts for what it costs them.

Planning Concurrent Enrollment for your teen?

Save this page and the state's deadlines show up on your own My FastTrack page, next to the tools. 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.

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