The number of Illinois high school students earning early college credit through “dual credit” partnerships keeps increasing significantly every year, sometimes saving students thousands of dollars in tuition fees.
Earlville High School senior Elizabeth Vasquez knows she goes to a small school.
“We're in the middle of nowhere," she says with a laugh. "We're 30 minutes away from the nearest Walmart or McDonald's.”
That's not exactly breaking news for the people who live there, but there is a perception, and often a reality, that smaller schools offer fewer opportunities. Earlville guidance counselor Pam Marks says with dual credit, where they partner with local colleges to offer their students college-level courses, they can punch way above their class in what they provide.
“This year's senior class is at 33," said Marks, "and I have 21 of them enrolled in dual credit English."
And the district continues to expand its offerings. This year, Earlville’s part of a pilot with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where U of I is offering dual credit for the first time. Most programs are through community colleges, and they do that too.
They partner with Illinois Valley Community College, plus some Earlville students attend a vocational center with dual credit through Waubonsee Community College and College of DuPage. So, one of their high schoolers could be earning college credit at three different colleges.
The U of I course is free for students; the others are offered at discounted rates. For junior Brayden Mock, saving the time and money makes it a no-brainer.
“I have a two-year plan set up," he said, "so that, hopefully, by the time I go to ‘college college,’ I'll have about an associate's degree worth of credits."
Statewide, the number of students taking dual credit has been growing for a long time, but it just keeps climbing. Since the pandemic, it’s increased substantially — over 9% — every single year. There are now over 100,000 Illinois high schoolers earning dual credit, compared to around 67,000 in 2020.
About 75% of those students are taking their dual credit college classes at their home high school with their high school teachers, which means those teachers need to have the same credentials as a college instructor.
Tamara McClain, Associate Vice President of Academic Partnerships and Centers at College of DuPage, says they work with high schools to identify which classes to offer and ensure the course is as rigorous as any other college class.
“Our faculty will work closely with their high school faculty," she said, "to make sure they understand the syllabus, the outcomes, the objectives, and whatever the supplemental materials that are needed for the class."
It’s an easy sell since they offer dual credit free for students. McClain says high schools even cover the cost of books. It adds up. A normal, three-credit class at a community college would cost almost $500, not including books. So, if you’re one of the many students who are taking more than 13 hours of dual credit —that is saving you thousands of dollars. That's not even considering that taking those classes at a community college is already much cheaper than at a university.
College of DuPage is the state’s largest community college and has the most dual credit students at just a shade under 11,000 last year. That’s more than doubled since the pandemic.
McClain says there are a few big reasons why.
“When I started four years ago," she said, "we went from roughly 15 schools we were partnered with to now 50."
It’s also because Illinois high schools are now required to offer what are called “College and Career Pathway Endorsements” — and, through that process, students have to earn at least six early college credit hours.
McClain says the students earning early college credit are getting younger and younger too. It used to be that only high school juniors and seniors could take dual credit, but she says they have freshman now too. They certainly get visits from middle schools a lot more often than in the past.
Writing is the most common dual credit class, although technical programs like welding and nursing are popular too.
At College of DuPage, McClain says they offer over 300 different dual credit courses. They even offer classes to students who don't attend one of their in-district high schools. They try not to step on other college's toes, but if there's a course they can't offer and COD can, they'll step in.
Overall, about 22% of all credits earned at Illinois community colleges are dual credit, but some have embraced it more than others. A few schools are over 40% dual credit now.
It also doesn’t look the same everywhere. Whereas most dual credit is taught in high schools, Rock Valley College offers more on their main campus than any school in the state.
“We're trying really hard to make sure they feel like they're a part of the campus community beyond just sitting in the classroom," said Cindi Schaefer Tobin, Rock Valley's dean of early college. "Because, ultimately, that's the goal, right? We want them to come and finish their two-year degree at Rock Valley."
RVC is one of the state’s few schools that offers a full-time, two-year program. Theirs is called Running Start, where students attend class on-campus and leave with both their high school diploma and an associate degree.
“This year our incoming Running Start cohort is the biggest in school history," said Schaefer Tobin. "So, the numbers continue to go up, which is exciting.”
They try to get students involved in clubs and activities on campus to make sure they feel like full-fledged RVC students. At many dual credit programs, high schoolers have a college counselor along with their high school guidance counselor so they can chart their dual credit path more seamlessly.
Whether on-campus, at high school, or online — she says the most important thing about dual credit is the easy access to college.
“Our goal," said Tobin, "is we would have students in those classes who don't see themselves going to college. Then they take this class, they get a B, and they're like, I can do it.”
It’s true that students across demographics who come in with some dual credit completed are more likely to graduate community college than students who don’t.
But can dual credit keep growing? Even with the number of high school-age students in Illinois expected to drop significantly over the next decade?
Schaefer Tobin says it hasn’t slowed down yet, but it very well may. But, she says, even if the total number goes down, they could still reach a higher percentage of those students.
In the meantime, there are now more opportunities than ever for Illinois high school students to jumpstart their college journey.
