Dual Enrollment (DE) is a Georgia funded program that allows high school students to take college courses that can simultaneously count toward high school and college requirements.
What is Dual Enrollment?
Dual Enrollment (DE) is a Georgia funded program that allows high school students to take college courses that can simultaneously count toward high school and college requirements.
Eligible students must:
• Attend eligible public, private, or home school high schools in Georgia
• Be enrolled in 10th, 11th or 12th grade
- 10th grade students can participate in DE by enrolling in eligible CTAE courses at a Technical College (TCSG)
- If 10th graders have earned, in one sitting, either a 1200 on the SAT or a 26 on the ACT, they are eligible to apply for enrollment in any participating DE college and take any approved DE courses.
• Be a Georgia resident (no additional citizenship required)
• Meet college admissions requirements for their DE program
• Meet high school participation requirements specific to Cobb County:
- Be on track for graduation
- Be in good academic standing
- Adhere to all of the policies specifically stated in the Cobb County School District Local School Agreement (provided on the forms page of this site)
• Must not have already received a high school diploma
Funding and Cost:
• Eligible students receive 100% funding, up to 30 semester hours/45 quarter hours program Funding Cap, for:
- Tuition
- Books
- Mandatory fees
- Funding pays for approved core courses (English, Math, Science, Social Studies, World/Foreign Languages) and Career Technical Agricultural Educational (CTAE) classes that are aligned with identified career pathways.)
• The funding is paid directly to the college. The award chart for Dual Enrollment can be found on GAFutures.
Impact on HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarships and Grants Eligibility
• Core credits earned and posted on the high school transcript are calculated into the student’s initial HOPE GPA, as described on GAFutures.
• Credit Hours paid for by DE are not counted toward the Attempted Hours or Combined Attempted Hours limit for HOPE and Zell Miller Scholarship at the college level.
Am I a Good Fit for Dual Enrollment?
When considering Dual Enrollment (DE), students and parents should understand the characteristics of students who are successful in college classes. Students who are considering the DE program need to be:
- Organized
- Willing, eager, and able to take initiative
- Clear about the reason for their interest in DE
- Mature
- A self-advocate
- Flexible
- A good time manager
- Eligible for admission to the college
- Have reliable transportation and parking at both the college and high school
- Respond to and initiate communications with the college and high school in a timely manner (within 24 hours or less) – check your email!
What are the Pros and Cons of Dual Enrollment?
Pros
- All GA public, private, and eligible home school students are eligible for funding in 11th and 12th grade.
- All 10th graders can take CTAE courses. 10th graders who have earned a 1200 on the SAT or 26 on the ACT in one sitting can participate fully in the DE program.
- Tuition, books, and mandatory fees are 100% covered up to a funding cap of 30 semester hours/45 quarter hours.Some students may be eligible for self pay.
- Potential for simultaneous credit for high school and college
- College credits are not based on a test score (like AP/IB)
- Can ease the transition from high school to college
- Students can earn an Associates Degree, Technical Diploma, or Technical Certifications
- Students can start pursuing career goals earlier
- Greater access to a larger variety of courses
- More flexibility in scheduling
- Some students are truly ready to “Move On” (When Ready)
Cons
- There may be some non-mandatory fees
- Examples – parking, course specific fees, lab materials, personal items, etc. – these are usually nominal
- Challenging classes taught by college professors
- Colleges communicate directly with student, usually via email
- Credits are NOT given weight for the Cobb County High School GPA UNLESS the student has first taken the highest level 1.0 EQP course available to them
- Some competitive colleges may not consider DE to be as rigorous as AP (see below for more information)
- Credit transferability is not guaranteed, especially for out-of-state and private colleges
- Students may miss high school announcements and activities
- Lack of daily interaction with friends may impact relationships, involvement, etc.
- Students will be in class with college students, as well as older adults
- College and high school calendars (thus, breaks) often DO NOT align
- Professors are unlikely to excuse absences for trips, playoff games, etc.
- Special Student Services must be arranged by the student/parent directly with the college (504, IEP, Healthcare Plans, etc.)
- Please speak with your case manager PRIOR to pursuing this option to determine appropriateness of DE
- College accommodations can be different than high school accommodations
- Parking is NOT always guaranteed at the high school
- Students at some high schools are required to be off campus during their scheduled DE classes – INCLUDING ONLINE classes
- Student must factor in travel time, traffic, changing bell schedules, etc.
- The two schedules might “clash,” resulting in adjustments; sometimes conflicts are unresolvable. Students should schedule DE courses around their high school schedules
DE Courses vs. AP/IB Courses
• DE courses and AP/IB courses are viewed differently by each college and university. Some colleges have no preference. Some may prefer one over the other. Most competitive colleges determine rigor by evaluating what options are available to the student within the high school; therefore, for some high schools, DE may be a strong choice but for others, it may not be if students have many options available to them at the high school.
• It is the student/parent responsibility to verify college preferences/admissions/degree requirements for their schools of interest before deciding to participate in the DE program.
• As it is with AP/IB courses, DE courses may or may not be accepted by every college or meet requirements for certain degree programs.
What are the Deadlines for Dual Enrollment?
Cobb County Deadlines
Cobb County School District has set countywide deadlines for all students who are applying for Dual Enrollment programs. This is to help ensure that students have the best chance at selecting the college schedule that they most prefer.
It is important to note that college deadlines often differ from the deadlines set below, and may be earlier. Students are encouraged to apply earlier than any posted deadline and where a college deadline might fall later, they will adhere to CCSD deadlines.
Fall – May 1
Spring – November 1
Summer – May 1
How do I Apply for Dual Enrollment?
1. Attend your local high school’s mandatory DE Information Session.
2. Review admissions requirements for the desired college.
3. Apply to the college.
4. Request that an official transcript to be sent from the high school (if required).
5. Submit SAT/ACT/PSAT/ACCUPLACER scores directly to the college.
6. Meet with high school counselor to complete required paperwork.Students in Cobb County most frequently attend the colleges below for DE. Click on the links below to view their DE webpages (Disclaimer: CCSD deadlines vary from each college. You must follow the CCSD deadlines unless the college deadline is earlier.)
Chattahoochee Technical College
Georgia Highlands College
Georgia State University
Georgia State University: Perimeter College
Georgia Institute of Technology
Kennesaw State University
What Forms Do I Need To Apply For Dual Enrollment?
Completed College Application (on college website)
Dual Enrollment Funding Application
Additional forms may be required by the specific college. It is the student’s responsibility to provide these forms to the high school counselor, if needed.
Individual high schools may have additional requirements.
I’ve Applied...Now What?
• Check your email frequently for information from the college about your admission status.
• Sign up for the earliest possible orientation where you will learn about course registration and other important information.
• Register for classes that you and your counselor agreed upon (refer to your Dual Enrollment Advisement Form*).
• Send your Detailed Schedule to your high school counselor. PDF is much preferred over screen shots and images. To save a webpage as a PDF:
- Open the printer settings for the browser (click Ctrl P as a shortcut)
- Change the printer setting to “Save as PDF” or “Microsoft to PDF”
- Click Save or Print
- Save the document
- Attach this document to an email to your high school counselor/DE coordinator.
*If you wish to make any changes to the courses that were agreed upon with your counselor, it is mandatory that you obtain permission from your counselor prior to registering for the course. You are required to resubmit a new schedule reflecting the change in order to receive funding for your class(es).
Important Links
