Thinking & Advocacy
Dual enrollment in the United States continues to expand — and this momentum presents a powerful opportunity. Updated Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data analyzed by the Community College Research Center (CCRC) show steady year-over-year increases in the number of high school students taking college courses, and 22% of all community college students are now dual enrolled high schoolers. States are also investing significant public dollars to broaden access and capacity.
As participation grows, so does the potential to transform lives. Dual enrollment can serve as a powerful bridge to college, helping students build confidence, build momentum toward meaningful credentials, and launch careers that lead to economic mobility and strong local economies.
At Its Best, Dual Enrollment Changes Trajectories
Dual enrollment’s greatest impact goes beyond accumulating credits. It gives students a head start on a college degree, provides financial savings, and builds the mindset and momentum to continue.
Structured with intention, dual enrollment can:
- Increase postsecondary attainment
- Strengthen career readiness and economic mobility
- Close equity gaps and empower first-generation learners
- Fuel community vibrancy through talent development
This moment of growth calls for thoughtful partnerships and intentional design so dual enrollment fulfills its promise for every student.
Three Ways to Strengthen and Scale Impact
Through our work with colleges nationwide, ATD has identified three strategies that help maximize the impact of dual enrollment:
1) Build partnerships around a shared vision
Successful programs emerge from strong collaboration between K–12 and higher ed partners, aligned to a shared goal for student success and community impact.
2) Strengthen access and holistic supports
Expanding opportunity means intentionally reaching students least likely to enroll in college and surrounding them with advising, belonging supports, and academic resources so they thrive. Research from CCRC shows that Black, Hispanic, and economically marginalized students as well as multilingual learners and students with learning disabilities are currently underrepresented in dual enrollment (CCRC, 2024).
3) Align coursework to clear pathways
When students see where their courses lead — toward a credential and a meaningful career — dual enrollment becomes a launchpad for long-term success.
Across the country, colleges are proving that when dual enrollment is designed intentionally and centered on equity, it can change trajectories. One example comes from Palm Beach State College (PBSC) in Florida, where purposeful design and partnership have driven stronger outcomes for dual enrollment students.
PBSC has addressed the need for expanded access and holistic student support through the implementation of an embedded advisor model in which they deploy college advisors to 17 of their local high schools. They have implemented this in alignment with the college’s strategic plan and careful consideration of the needs and capacity of their high school partners as well as a clear plan for staff training and program evaluation. Since 2019, this model has increased dual enrollment participation at the college by 35% and increased the matriculation of dual enrollment students to the college after graduation by 21%.
Opportunity: Turning Participation Into Lasting Success
Through ATD’s coaching relationships with colleges, we undoubtedly have seen tremendous progress. Yet, we have also witnessed persistent challenges that must be addressed to unlock dual enrollment’s full potential:
- Equitable access remains uneven. Research from CCRC shows that Black, Hispanic, and economically marginalized students see some of the greatest gains from dual enrollment — yet they remain significantly underrepresented. Ensuring fair access and intentional outreach is essential if dual enrollment is to be a true engine of equity rather than an accelerator of existing gaps (Fink et al., 2017).
- Ensuring fair access and intentional outreach is essential if dual enrollment is to be a true engine of equity rather than an accelerator of existing gaps.
- Proactive advising, relationship building, and wraparound supports may be lacking. Early college experiences can spark confidence, build momentum, and help students see themselves in higher education. But for students who have never imagined college in their future, simply enrolling in a college course isn’t sufficient. They need support to feel a sense of belonging and wraparound supports to help them navigate college pathways.
- Pathways are not always aligned to meaningful credentials and careers. Too often, dual enrollment offerings are shaped by scheduling convenience or staffing constraints rather than clear student pathways. To maximize impact, dual enrollment must be connected to coherent programs of study and aligned with high-value credentials and local career opportunities — not treated as isolated credits or stand-alone experiences.
As participation expands, this is our opportunity — and our obligation — to build systems that ensure every student who can benefit has a clear and supported path toward a credential and a career. That means scaling equity-focused outreach, strengthening holistic support structures, and aligning course offerings to meaningful, workforce-relevant pathways.
Join ATD in Advancing Intentional Dual Enrollment
If your college is interested in making an impact with intentional dual enrollment, there are currently two new ATD initiatives that may be of interest.
1) Join a national study on advising practices in dual enrollment
With funding from American Student Assistance® (ASA), ATD is launching a national study to document how advising is being delivered to dual enrollment students and the growing practice of colleges placing advising staff in high schools. If your college or school district offers dual enrollment in any form, we invite you to complete this short survey by Dec. 12, 2025. The findings will inform a series of case studies to be released in 2026-27.
2) Apply to join a dual enrollment SEM planning cohort for ATD Leader Colleges
ATD is recruiting a cohort of Leader Colleges to embed dual enrollment into their strategic enrollment management (SEM) plans. Funded by Lumina Foundation, five colleges will receive, in addition to a stipend, coaching and structured support over an 18-month period to develop and begin implementation of dual-enrollment-focused SEM plans. Leader Colleges and Leader Colleges of Distinction are invited to apply. Read more about Incorporating Dual Enrollment Into Strategic Enrollment Management Planning.
As dual enrollment grows, so does its potential to shape educational opportunity and economic mobility. Together, we can ensure this expansion leads to lasting impact for students, families, and communities — especially those with the most to gain.
Learn more about how ATD supports colleges in advancing dual enrollment.
Explore our Dual Enrollment Opportunity Assessment and Dual Enrollment Workshop to get started.
Community College Research Center. (n.d.). Dual enrollment dashboard [Data visualization]. Retrieved November 3, 2025, from https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/dashboard/dual-enrollment.html.
Fink, J., Jenkins, D., Lahr, H., Yanagiura, T., Choudhury, S. K., L. M. W., & Mattern, M. (2024, April 15). Understanding dual enrollment [Report]. Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University. https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/understanding-dual-enrollment.pdf.