Earning college credit in high school leads to greater success in college

 Complete report

Indiana students who earn early college credit in high school outperform their peers when it comes to enrollment, early college success and graduation:

•College Enrollment: Roughly three-fourths (70%) of all dual credit earners enroll directly in college after high school compared to less than half (44%) of students with no pre-college credit. Overall, 93% of students who earned both dual credit and AP in high school enroll directly in college. 

•Progress: Dual credit earners are more likely to experience early success in college compared to their peers. Nearly half (47%) of all dual credit earners in Indiana metall three areas of early college success—no remediation, persistence to their second year and completing all credits attempted—compared to only one-fourth (26%) of students without AP or dual credit.Overall, 74% of students who earned both dual credit and AP in high school experienced early success in college.In addition, dual credit earners require less remediation in college (10%) than students with no pre-college credit (27%). 

•On-Time Graduation: Dual credit earners are more likely to graduate on time or early. Data also indicate that the more dual credit a student earns in high school, the more likely he or she will graduate on time or early from college.

In 2013, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education passed a resolution to close the state’s achievement gap for low-income and minority students by 2025. According to recent data, exposure to early college credit in high school can contribute to closing these gaps:

•Growth: Since 2012, dual credit earning rates have increased by double digits for students of all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds. 

•Opportunity: Nearly one-third (32%) of all dual credit earners are low-income students who qualify for free and reduced lunch. Dual credit courses offer these students the opportunity to earn college credit in high school at no cost. 

•Graduation: Black and Hispanic students who take dual credit courses in high school are more than twice as likely to graduate college on time as minority students who do not have any dual credit. 

Early college credit offers significant cost savings for students and the state:

 •Low-Income Students: Dual credit offers low-income students the opportunity to earn college credit in high school at no cost, saving an average of $18.7 million over the course of their postsecondary education.

•Students Statewide: Dual credit saves  students an estimated total of $69 million in tuition costs, which is equivalent to roughly $1,600 per student over the course of his or her postsecondary education. 

•State: Dual credit has the potential to save the State of Indiana over $62 million.