Dual Enrollment Booms as Cincinnati Students Bank College Credit Early

Dual enrollment — high-school students taking college courses for credit — is booming around Cincinnati, letting teenagers bank credits and cut both the time and cost of a future degree. For some students, the head start amounts to a full year of college completed before they finish high school.

The appeal is straightforward in an era of rising tuition: credits earned in high school are typically far cheaper, and they let ambitious students move faster. Districts and colleges have expanded partnerships to meet the demand.

Educators caution that the pace is not right for everyone and that a college course is a real college course, with real stakes for a young student's transcript. Support and advising, they say, are what keep the opportunity from becoming a trap.