For example:

• In Utah, high-school students can amass two years of college credit through the summer after graduation -- and then pay only 30% of tuition their junior and senior years at Utah public universities.
• New York state's community colleges are offering 60 classes this year to more than 100,000 high-school juniors and seniors carrying a minimum B-minus grade-point average. Students can take up to 11 credits per semester for $41 a credit -- a third of the part-time student rate -- with tuition breaks available based on financial need.
• In California, high-school juniors and seniors can enroll for $1 a credit in junior-college courses still open during late-registration periods. The state fills empty classroom seats in transferable general studies and major prerequisite courses that are often overcrowded at its public universities.

        "These programs are the best kept secret in terms of college-cost savings," says Elena Sampson, membership chair for the National Association of Concurrent Enrollment Programs (NACEP) and coordinator of secondary programs at Finger Lakes Community College in Geneva, N.Y. "They can save families tens of thousands of dollars and help students transition smoothly into college."

        Adds Hans Andrews, author of "The Dual Credit Phenomenon:", "This is the best buy for the buck anywhere in higher education because parents save on room and board as well as tuition since the student's still under their roof. If a student completes a full year's worth of college, which is easily possible, you're talking about saving $15,000 to $20,000 and more off a year at state university."
 

A hodgepodge of offerings

        Syracuse University launched a dual-credit program in 1972 that has become a model and training ground for state programs nationwide. Since then, nearly every state has developed concurrent-enrollment programs or at least made allowances for high-school students to enroll in public-college courses, Andrews says.

        Several states have been leaders in developing comprehensive programs, including Minnesota, Washington, Florida, Indiana and Utah. In 2002, NACEP adopted national accreditation standards that spurred a greater embrace of such programs at both the federal and state levels.

        Most states do not widely promote available programs because their education systems aren't prepared to handle the certain crushing demand, says William Newell, associate director of Syracuse's Project Advance. Parents and students must explore what opportunities exist by contacting their high school and nearby colleges.

        "It takes some degree of research, but it can prove remarkably rewarding financially for families and scholastically for students," Newell says.

Dual credit vs. dual enrollment

        High-school students have two ways to enroll in college courses for credit: dual credit and dual enrollment.

        With dual-credit classes, the students take courses at their high school taught by a staff instructor accredited to teach the college-level curriculum, as well as online and at local colleges. They receive credit for their high-school graduation requirement and also can get college credit for the course.

        "Some high schools count the grade earned in the student's (high school) GPA while others may weight a B received in a dual-credit class as an A for their GPA," Andrews says.

        With dual enrollment, the student does not receive any credit toward high-school graduation requirements, but can amass credits for online courses and evening, weekend and summer classes taken at a nearby college.

        Concurrent-enrollment classes are distinct from advanced-placement (AP) courses taken in high school, for which students earn potential college credit based on their grade on a standardized test upon completion of the class.

Financial motivation

        Jerry Edmonds, director of Syracuse's program and a former NACEP president, says the primary benefit of concurrent enrollment is to "help students develop the skills to make a smooth transition from high school to college, understand the workload and time management, explore a subject they're interested in and investigate subjects they know nothing about."

        Yet the cost savings can be a financial life saver for many families. The Syracuse program, offered in 174 high schools last year in the Northeast, New Jersey, New York and Michigan, charged $110 per credit for the same courses undergraduate students take at the university's upstate New York campus for $1,327 per credit.

        "Given the skyrocketing costs of college, and how so many fields now require advanced degrees to really succeed, getting a head start and saving a year or more of college costs is a real benefit," says Tim Lee, past president of the Independent Educational Consultants Association.

        Concurrent-enrollment programs also minimize the likelihood students will be stuck in undergraduate programs for today's national average of more than 4.5 years because they couldn't get into prerequisite classes at overcrowded state universities, Andrews says.

        "From a cost standpoint for the states, it's a win-win," Andrews says. "Students get through their undergraduate studies quicker, they won't be taking up seats for a fifth year and some will be there only three years or less."

Maturity and responsibility

        A major benefit in taking college-level courses during high school is that students will be less likely to succumb to "senioritis." Seniors who've completed most courses required for graduation often take fewer classes and electives, and don't care about grades once they're accepted into a college.

        "When students slough off senior year, it actually makes the transition to college harder," Andrews says. "Knowing that the grades they get on dual-credit courses may count in their college GPA keeps them motivated."

        Senior slumps also contribute to students failing to stay attentive enough in AP classes to pass the year-end test to get college credit, he says. "Even some of the brightest students are just marking time senior year."

        High-school students' maturity level and study skills are important to determine how large a load of concurrent-enrollment classes they might take, says Rick Hansen, director of counseling services at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo., and past president of the American College Counseling Association. "The priority is having a good high-school experience first and not taking such a heavy load that students compromise their grades in both their high-school and dual-credit classes," Hansen says. "We've seen kids coming into our school with so many credits that they try to double and triple major. We have to be careful that overachievers -- both parents and students -- don't spoil the high-school experience because of a drive to succeed."

        Lee is similarly concerned about students' ability "to handle the different rhythms of the two systems, and the social dynamics of being a 16 year-old at a community college where a lot of students are older and returning to college. Will they feel like a fish out of water, and not have the confidence to raise their hand in class?"

        Many high-school students who get good grades still aren't mentally and emotionally mature enough to handle the academic rigors of college-level classes, says Chad Holbrook, coordinator of concurrent enrollment at Weber State University in Utah. "They can really damage their transcript."

        Students need to be able to function independently and not require handholding from teachers, Hansen says. "If they can stay up with the material themselves, they'll probably be in good shape."

Transferability

        The most popular concurrent-enrollment courses tend to be in arts and humanities such as English literature, art, music appreciation, U.S. and world history, political science, psychology and philosophy, Andrews says. Many students will also take basic science courses to cover general-studies requirements.
Most state universities will accept concurrent-enrollment credits earned within their own systems. Private colleges and universities may be more selective, says Edmonds, whose Syracuse program has found about 90% of its student's credits accepted across the board.

        "Sticking to core classes tends to be the best move," Hansen says. "I'd encourage people to determine in advance what classes will most likely transfer, especially if they have an idea what college the student would like to ultimately attend."