The Postsecondary Outcomes of High School Dual Enrollment Students: A National and State-by-State Analysis

Using National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) data, this report presents national and state-by-state findings on the postsecondary enrollment and completion outcomes of high school students who began taking dual enrollment college courses in fall 2015, tracked up to four years after high school. The authors describe the size and significance of the dual enrollment population for postsecondary institutions and states and compare postsecondary outcomes among dual enrollees to outcomes of other recent high school graduates entering higher education without prior dual enrollment experience. Given previous research indicating that low-income, Black, and Hispanic high school students are severely underrepresented in dual enrollment coursework, the authors further disaggregate results for these subgroups to highlight the potential for dual enrollment to strengthen high-school-to-college-and-career transitions and increase equity for underserved communities.

Key Findings:

1. High school dual enrollment is widespread and growing across states; it is especially prevalent at community colleges.
2. Dual enrollment students have strong postsecondary outcomes after high school, particularly in some states.
3. Low-income, Black, and Hispanic students are underrepresented in dual enrollment and have lower average award completion rates than dual enrollment students overall. However, low-income, Black, and Hispanic dual enrollees’ award completion rates are stronger than that of non-dual enrollees.
4. High school students who take dual enrollment courses at a four-year institution do particularly well in college but are not as diverse as other dual enrollment students in terms of race/ethnicity and neighborhood income.
5. For community colleges, former dual enrollment students are a strong source of post-high-school enrollments.

The analyses in this report reveal substantial state-by-state differences in dual enrollment student outcomes. The authors argue that institutions and states should work to broaden the benefits of dual enrollment, particularly for low-income, Black, Hispanic, and other groups underrepresented in dual enrollment. Institutions and states should expand access to dual enrollment and help students who participate in the program to complete college in a timely fashion. Colleges and states can use the findings to assess whether they need to prioritize efforts to broaden access to dual enrollment, increase dual enrollment student success, or both. Additional state-level findings and guidance can be found in the data dashboard accompanying this report.