A year after eliminating dual credit tuition and fees for all high school students, Del Mar College has reached record dual credit enrollment.
This fall, 2,959 high school students are taking a Del Mar College course — that’s a 7.2% increase from last fall’s enrollment of 2,761. Back in 2022, the college counted 2,569 dual credit students in the fall semester.
In dual credit programs, high school students are able to enroll in college courses, receiving credit from both the college and their high school.
A 2017 study from the University of Texas Educational Research Center found that dual credit increases high school graduation and college enrollment and shortens the time to graduate for both community college and university students. A 2021 study indicates that dual enrollment programs can reduce educational inequities in college access and degree attainment for students at risk of academic failure.
In 2023, the Texas Legislature approved funding for the Financial Aid for Swift Transfer program, which allows participating institutions to offer dual credit courses for free to educationally disadvantaged students. The state defines educationally disadvantaged students as those who are eligible for the national free or reduced-price lunch program, which is based on family income.