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Dual enrollment is the umbrella term for a high school student taking a college course for credit at both levels. Concurrent enrollment usually means one specific kind of it, a college course taught at the high school, during the school day, by a high school teacher the college has credentialed. The other kind puts the student in a course on the college's campus or online, with college students and college faculty. Both earn college credit on the college's transcript, but they can look different to a university deciding what to accept.
Why does every state use a different name?
Every state named its own program, and the names don’t line up. Minnesota calls the on-campus version PSEO and the in-school version College in the Schools or concurrent enrollment. Colorado calls its whole program Concurrent Enrollment regardless of where the class meets. Texas and Illinois say dual credit. Washington says Running Start for the campus version and College in the High School for the other. Some places use “dual enrollment” and “dual credit” to mean subtly different things, and some use them interchangeably.
The label won’t tell you what you have, so ask where the class meets and who teaches it, because those two facts are what a university looks at later when it decides what the credit is worth.
The in-school version
This is a college course offered inside the high school. The syllabus, textbook, and assessments come from the college, which puts the course on its transcript just as if the student had taken it on campus. The teacher is a high school teacher who meets the college’s faculty qualifications and works with a college faculty liaison. The national accrediting body for this model is NACEP, and the regional college accreditors set the teacher credential rules; the Higher Learning Commission, which covers a large stretch of the middle of the country, requires a master’s degree in the subject or a master’s plus eighteen graduate credits in it.
For the family, the appeal is logistical. There is no drive and no bell conflict, and the teacher knows the building. For a first college course in a general-education subject it is often the right choice, because the support is closer and the schedule already works.
The on-campus version
The student enrolls at the college, sits in a section with college students, and is taught and graded by the college’s own faculty. Online sections of regular college courses belong here too. For that course the student is a college student in every respect, including the pace, the syllabus, and the absence of reminders.
The appeal is choice. The college’s whole catalog is available rather than the handful of courses the high school can host, and the transcript entry is indistinguishable from any other student’s.
Which one transfers better?
Both produce a course from an accredited college on that college’s transcript, so in the formal sense they are identical. Some universities, though, especially selective ones, look at whether a course was taught inside a high school when deciding whether to award credit, and a few decline in-school credit or ask for a syllabus. Most public universities in the same state take both without distinction, particularly when the course sits in a statewide transfer agreement.
If your teen is aiming at an in-state public university, either version is fine, and if the target is a selective private university or a school out of state, look up that school’s policy on concurrent enrollment credit before choosing the in-school route for a course that matters.
Which one is right for your teen?
We usually suggest starting in-school if it’s available and the subject is one of the general-education staples, then moving to on-campus or online when your teen wants a course the high school doesn’t host, when they are ready for the pace of a regular college section, or when a target college’s policy makes the in-school version risky. Many students do both across their junior and senior years.
FAQ
Is concurrent enrollment the same as dual enrollment? Concurrent enrollment is one kind of dual enrollment, usually the version taught at the high school by a credentialed high school teacher. Dual enrollment is the umbrella term for any college course a high schooler takes for credit at both levels.
What is the difference between dual credit and dual enrollment? It depends on the state. Some use them interchangeably; some use dual credit for courses that earn both credits and dual enrollment for enrollment at the college. Ask where the class meets and who teaches it, which matter more than the label.
Who teaches concurrent enrollment classes? A high school teacher who meets the college’s faculty qualifications and works with a college faculty liaison. Under the Higher Learning Commission that means a master’s degree in the subject or a master’s plus eighteen graduate credits in it.
Does concurrent enrollment credit transfer? Usually, especially to in-state public universities. Some selective universities look at whether a course was taught inside a high school and may decline or ask for a syllabus, so check the target college’s policy.
Should your teen do concurrent enrollment or go to campus? In-school for a first general-education course, campus or online for wider choice and the pace of a regular college section. Many students do both across junior and senior year.