Dual credit has grown in popularity, with 34% of students nationally taking dual credit courses. It has become one of the most visible access strategies for students but access alone does not guarantee better long-term outcomes.
If those credits do not apply to a credential or transfer pathway, students may simply be accumulating courses without making meaningful progress. Colleges and universities should stop measuring dual credit only by the number of students enrolled and start designing it as an intentional pathway that builds momentum toward completion, transfer, or workforce value.
As states and colleges continue expanding dual credit, the conversation can no longer stop at participation. College leaders are under pressure to improve affordability, accelerate completion, and show that early college coursework leads to measurable value. That makes this the right moment to ask whether dual credit is functioning as a true pathway or simply as an accumulation of disconnected courses.
Dual credit should connect
Too often, dual credit is treated as course access rather than a structured, lower-cost on-ramp to transfer or college credentials. Many models still focus on increasing the number of students takin courses or the availability of courses offered.
The heightened focus on increasing the number of students taking courses can lead to random course-taking, excess credits, weak alignment to current degree plans, and courses that may not transfer to the students’ university of choice.
When dual credit is not intentionally designed, students may arrive at college with credits that do not fit their major, do not apply to degree requirements, or do not transfer to their intended institution. In the best case, those courses provide exposure to college expectations. In the worst case, they create a false sense of momentum, giving students the appearance of progress without shortening time to credential.
Programs should be structured around where students are going, not just what courses they can take. When designed intentionally, dual credit should connect to transfer maps at common destination institutions, support entry-level workforce credentials tied to local labor market needs, create clear next steps into additional programs, and build first-year momentum for students who continue into college.
A well-designed program can improve affordability, increase student access, reduce wasted credits, and increase the likelihood that students continue after high school with a specific outcome in mind.
A student success strategy
For colleges ready to rethink dual credit, three steps can make the difference between simple course access and true pathway design.
- Audit offerings for pathway relevance. Review all courses and see whether they apply directly to college credentials, general education requirements, or transfer pathways. Identify courses that have the highest enrollment but do not move students towards a goal.
- Build around mapped out programs, not isolated classes. Align course offerings to clear academic and workforce pathways. Focus on course sequences that help students make measurable progress before they graduate high school.
- Measure momentum, not just participation. College administrators should track success metrics beyond the number of dual credit students and partners. Dual credit should not be judged only by how many students participate. It should be judged by whether participation leads to enrollment, persistence, credential progress, and efficient transfer after high school. Some momentum metrics to track include whether students enrolled in postsecondary after high school, persistence rates, credential progress, whether the courses transfer, and excess credit accumulation.
This work cannot be done only with dual credit directors and coordinators. It requires collaboration among academic affairs, student affairs, institutional effectiveness, workforce leadership, and K-12 partners.
When dual credit is designed with intentionality, it is a student success, affordability, and completion strategy. It can also strengthen enrollment pipelines by bringing in students who have already built momentum toward completion.
While dual credit is often viewed as early exposure to college, its real value comes through intentionally designed pathways that build momentum toward a certificate, degree, or successful transfer. The next phase is not expansion, but smarter design.
