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Yes, and mostly in your teen's favor. Dual enrollment courses can count toward the NCAA core courses your athlete needs, as long as they appear on the high school transcript, are clearly marked as dual enrollment, and fall in an approved subject. The grade counts toward the NCAA core-course GPA. Taking them in high school doesn't use up any college athletic eligibility.
Will the courses count toward NCAA requirements?
They can. To play Division I or II sports, your athlete has to complete a set of NCAA-approved core courses in high school and have them certified by the NCAA Eligibility Center. A dual enrollment course can fill one of those core slots if it meets the Eligibility Center’s rules.
The course has to appear on the high school transcript with a grade and high school credit, and it has to be clearly labeled as dual enrollment on that transcript. It also has to be in a core subject the NCAA recognizes: English, math at the level of Algebra I or higher, natural or physical science, social science, foreign language, or certain humanities like comparative religion or philosophy.
So a dual enrollment U.S. History or College Algebra class usually counts, while a dual enrollment welding or intro-to-business class usually doesn’t, because those subjects aren’t core subjects for NCAA purposes.
Does dual enrollment use up college athletic eligibility?
No. This is the fear parents of athletes raise most often, and it’s the easy one to put to rest. The NCAA clock that gives an athlete five years to play four seasons starts when they first enroll full time at a college as a regular student. Courses taken while still in high school don’t count as full-time college enrollment, so they don’t start that clock. Your teen can earn a year of college credit through dual enrollment and still arrive on campus with all of their athletic eligibility intact.
Do the grades count, or just the credit?
The grades count. Because a dual enrollment core course gets certified by the NCAA, the grade your athlete earns in it goes into the NCAA core-course GPA the same way a regular high school grade would. That means a rough semester in a dual enrollment course can pull down the GPA the Eligibility Center uses to clear your athlete, on top of what it does to the high school report card.
If your teen is counting on athletics, treat a dual enrollment class with the same seriousness as any other course on the NCAA core list, because the grade lands in the same place.
How does the transcript get to the NCAA?
It depends on how the high school reports the course. If the high school has a “Cleared” status with the NCAA Eligibility Center and the dual enrollment course is clearly designated on the high school transcript with a grade and credit, a separate college transcript usually isn’t required. If it isn’t designated that way, your athlete will need to send the official college transcript to the Eligibility Center directly.
Confirm two things early, ideally freshman or sophomore year: that the specific dual enrollment course is on your high school’s NCAA list of approved core courses, and that it’s labeled as dual enrollment on the transcript the school sends. Your high school counselor and the school’s athletic department can check both.
What’s the one mistake to avoid?
The mistake is assuming the course will count without anyone checking. A dual enrollment course only helps an NCAA-bound athlete if the high school reports it correctly and the subject qualifies, so look at the approved-course list before your teen signs up for the class, while there’s still time to pick a different one.
FAQ
Do dual enrollment classes count as NCAA core courses? They can, if the course is in an approved core subject, appears on the high school transcript with a grade and credit, and is clearly labeled as dual enrollment. Non-academic and career-technical dual enrollment courses generally don’t count as core.
Does dual enrollment reduce how many years your teen can play? No. The five-years-to-play-four clock starts at full-time college enrollment as a regular student, and dual enrollment in high school doesn’t trigger it.
Do dual enrollment grades affect NCAA eligibility? Yes. The grade in a certified dual enrollment core course counts toward the NCAA core-course GPA, so a low grade can hurt athletic clearance as well as the high school GPA.
Does your teen need to send a college transcript to the NCAA? Sometimes. If the course is clearly designated as dual enrollment on a “Cleared” high school’s transcript with grade and credit, a separate college transcript usually isn’t needed. Otherwise, the official college transcript has to go to the Eligibility Center.
When should you check all this? Early, ideally freshman or sophomore year. Confirm the course is on the high school’s NCAA-approved list and labeled correctly before your athlete enrolls in it.