A Cumbersome Enrollment Process Named the Top Challenge to Dual Enrollment in California

Dual enrollment is a powerful acceleration strategy for college completion. Students who participate in high-quality dual enrollment while in high school are more likely to graduate, enter college, and persist in college to completion than their peers who don’t, according to multiple studies. Research has shown that students who are identified as low-income, first-generation, or students of color can benefit from dual enrollment (An, 2012; Lee & Villareal, 2022; Mechur Karp, 2012; Rarig, 2019; Taylor et al., 2022). And dual enrollment also offers a low-cost or no-cost way to earn college credit and may help students obtain a degree faster. Yet, as colleges and high schools across California work to develop and expand dual enrollment, it will be essential to focus on equity. This will help ensure that dual enrollment opportunities continue to expand college access and success for student groups who have been systematically excluded.

Between October 14-24, 2022, Career Ladders Project partnered with Engage R+D, with support from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, to field a survey of college leaders and practitioners engaged in dual enrollment efforts. The purpose of the survey was to better understand implementation barriers encountered by participants and what is needed to ensure equitable access and success. This report describes key survey findings and concludes with prompts based on learnings from the survey that practitioners can use to guide reflection and discussion.