Advanced Placement & Dual Enrollment: Is it Right for You?
Listen in on a real-style conversation between a counselor and a student planning next year's schedule.
Counselor: Thanks for coming in, Jordan. You wanted to talk about next year's schedule?
Jordan: Yeah. My friends are taking AP classes and dual enrollment, but I don't really get the difference. I'm also nervous it'll be too much.
Counselor: That’s a smart question. AP courses are college-level classes taught here at school. If you do well on the end-of-year exam, many colleges will give you credit. Dual enrollment is an actual college course, and you earn a college grade and credit right away.
Jordan: So what's the benefit?
Counselor: Both show colleges you’ve challenged yourself, build skills like time management and writing, and can save you money on your college degree.
Jordan: What if I struggle? Won’t that hurt my GPA?
Counselor: Challenging classes do take more effort, but with the right fit and support, you can do well. Let’s find the right fit. What subjects do you enjoy?
Jordan: Biology and writing. Math is harder for me.
Counselor: Then AP Biology or a college writing class could be a great start, while we keep math at a level where you can succeed. You don’t have to take everything at once.
Jordan: Okay, one or two sounds doable.
Counselor: Perfect. Let’s build a schedule that stretches you without overwhelming you, and we’ll check in each semester.
Key Takeaways
Advanced Placement (AP)
Dual Enrollment (DE)
Definition
AP is a college-level course taught at your high school, ending with a standardized AP exam.
Definition
Dual Enrollment is an actual college course that earns high school and college credit at once.
Cost
AP courses are usually free to take, but each AP exam has a fee (reductions may be available).
Cost
Dual Enrollment costs vary by program and are often free or discounted for high school students.
Setting
AP classes usually meet at your high school, taught by your own teachers.
Setting
Dual Enrollment classes may meet at your high school, online, or on a college campus.
Earning credit
AP credit depends on your exam score and each college’s credit policy.
Earning credit
Dual Enrollment credit is based on completing the college course successfully.
AP credit versus placement
Some colleges grant credit, some grant only placement into higher courses, and some do neither for certain subjects. Policies vary by department and often by major. Engineering programs, for example, may have different rules for calculus or chemistry.
Permanent transcript
A dual enrollment grade follows the student to every college they attend. A C or W is hard to undo, so students should treat these courses as real college commitments.
Exam score matters
Taking the course shows rigor, but credit depends on the score. Students should plan to sit the exam.
Financial aid and withdrawals
Withdrawing or failing can affect satisfactory academic progress for aid later. It is worth checking before a student drops a course.
Score reporting
Students choose whether to send scores, and many colleges only need them after admission. The College Board’s rules on this change over time, so check current policy.
Course type matters
Courses such as English, psychology, and economics transfer more reliably than electives or specialized courses. Introduction to Engineering may count as an elective at some schools rather than satisfying an engineering requirement.