Guides · State programs · By FastTrack Advising

Dual credit in West Virginia: LevelUpWV, explained for parents

Published September 18, 2026

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West Virginia pays for dual enrollment through LevelUpWV, the pilot the Legislature created in 2023. A course on an approved career pathway costs the student no tuition and no academic fees, because the state reimburses the college $75 a credit hour. Public, private, charter, microschool, learning pod, and homeschool students all qualify.

Program: LevelUpWV, a four-year state-funded pilot that began in fall 2023
Law: West Virginia Code 18B-14-4, added by House Bill 2005 in 2023
Cost: No tuition and no academic fees for the student; the state reimburses institutions $75 a credit hour
Who: Any secondary student, including homeschool, charter, microschool, learning pod, and private school students, who meets the criteria
Courses: Approved pathways in health care, information technology, STEM, education, advanced manufacturing, welding and fabrication, construction, and agriculture
Scale: 4,600 students in 2023-24 across 52 counties and 16 institutions, and more than 6,700 in 2024-25

What LevelUpWV pays, and what it does not

The statute is direct about the money: the Higher Education Policy Commission or the Council for Community and Technical College Education pays the eligible institution the cost of tuition and academic fees for an eligible student in a dual credit course. The reimbursement rate is $75 a credit hour, and there is no tuition cost to the student.

Books and materials are the gap. Institutions are directed toward open educational resources and low-cost materials wherever practical, which keeps that number small at many campuses, but it is the first question to ask when a course is selected.

One more rule is worth knowing before a student registers for something shaky: the funding reimburses initial attempts only. A retake of the same course comes out of the family's pocket, which is a reason to start with one course rather than three.

The pathway rule decides which courses count

This is not open-ended free college. A course qualifies when it sits on an approved career pathway, and the statute names direct care health professions, information technology, STEM fields, education, advanced manufacturing, welding and fabrication, construction, and agriculture, with room for any other program the Department of Commerce finds meets a workforce need.

The statute also excludes developmental education, physical education, and recreation courses from dual credit funding. A college class that looks like a soft landing is usually the one that is not covered.

The approved course list for your teen's school lives in a memorandum of understanding between the school and the participating institution. Ask to see that list rather than browsing the college catalog, because the catalog is much larger than what the MOU covers.

Who can enroll

Eligibility is deliberately broad. The code covers any secondary school student, including homeschool, charter school, microschool, learning pod, and private school students, who meets the criteria set by the state board of education and the commission or council. Districts and colleges then determine individual student eligibility together.

In practice the program runs for juniors and seniors, though some approved pathways start earlier. Students also have to meet the participating institution's admission requirements, which are the same standards a regular college student meets, so a placement score or a prerequisite can still stand in the way.

For a homeschool family, this is one of the more open programs in the country, and the entry point is the participating college rather than a district office.

The dates that matter are the school's

LevelUpWV does not publish a single statewide application deadline. The reporting calendar runs on the institution: course enrollment confirmation within 21 days of classes starting, and course completion notices with grades within 21 days after classes end.

The date a family has to catch is the critical withdrawal date for the specific course, which varies by institution. A college grade stays on the transcript for good once that date passes, so a student who is drowning in week three should be talking to the instructor rather than waiting for a grade report.

How big the program got

In year one, 4,600 students from 52 counties took LevelUpWV courses through 16 public universities and community and technical colleges. In 2024-25 more than 6,700 students took part, an 11.5 percent rise in dual enrollment through the state's public universities. The Commission has said the pilot can support up to an estimated 10,000 students a year.

Twenty institutions now list the program, ten four-year and ten two-year, which means most West Virginia families have a participating campus within a reasonable drive. Growth on that scale also means seats in popular pathway courses fill, so the spring conversation about fall courses is the one that decides which seat your teen gets.

What we tell families in West Virginia

We tell West Virginia families to ask for the MOU course list first and to pick from it, because a course outside the approved pathways is a course you pay for. Start with one, in the pathway your teen is curious about rather than the one with the best job numbers.

We also tell them to look at the two-year campuses seriously. A pathway that ends in a certificate or an associate degree at a West Virginia community and technical college is a finished credential at 19, and it transfers into a four-year program if your teen wants that later. Ask the receiving campus how it treats these credits before the sequence is built.

Questions to ask your counselor

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

Which institution do we have an MOU with, and what is on the approved course list?
Which pathway does this course belong to, and where does the pathway lead?
What do the books and materials cost for this course?
What is the withdrawal date, and who tells us if my teen is struggling before it?
Does this course transfer to the four-year campus my teen is considering?

Frequently asked

Is dual enrollment free in West Virginia?

On an approved LevelUpWV pathway, yes for tuition and academic fees, because the state reimburses the college $75 a credit hour. Books and materials can still cost something, and a retake is not reimbursed.

Who qualifies for LevelUpWV?

Any secondary student who meets the criteria, including homeschool, charter school, microschool, learning pod, and private school students. Most participants are juniors and seniors, and students must meet the college's own admission requirements.

Which courses does LevelUpWV cover?

Courses on approved career pathways: direct care health professions, information technology, STEM fields, education, advanced manufacturing, welding and fabrication, construction, agriculture, and other programs that meet a state workforce need. Developmental, physical education, and recreation courses are excluded.

How many students take LevelUpWV courses?

4,600 in 2023-24 from 52 counties through 16 institutions, and more than 6,700 in 2024-25. The Commission has said the pilot can support up to an estimated 10,000 students a year.

Does a LevelUpWV course count for high school credit?

Yes. The code covers courses that award credit toward both high school completion and a postsecondary degree or certificate, so the course appears on the high school transcript and the college transcript.

Through the high school or the academic advisor. The school and the participating institution sign a memorandum of understanding that lists the approved courses, and eligibility is determined by the two of them together.

Sources

West Virginia Code 18B-14-4, dual enrollment pilot program · eligibility for all school types, the state paying tuition and academic fees, the excluded course types, and the pathways
West Virginia's Climb, LevelUpWV · no cost to students, the pathways, 20 participating institutions, and the initial-attempt rule
West Virginia's Climb, LevelUp requirements · juniors and seniors, college admission standards, the MOU, and the 21-day reporting windows
West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, first dual enrollment program · House Bill 2005, the fall 2023 start, the four-year pilot, and the 10,000-student estimate
West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, 11.5 percent growth · 4,600 students in year one and more than 6,700 in 2024-25
Complete College America, West Virginia takes dual enrollment to the next level · the $75 per credit hour reimbursement, 52 counties, 16 institutions, and the low-cost materials direction

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 (Utah) College courses for $5 a credit hour, taught mostly inside the high school by a college-approved teacher. Each college sets its own admission bar, and books are still yours.
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 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 Dual credit 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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