An increasing number of Kentucky students are earning college credit while in high school.The number of students taking dual credit courses and the amount of credits they’re earning have both risen sharply. Lisa Autry from member station WKYU reports.
Statewide, nearly 35-thousand high school students enrolled in dual credit courses through a college or university during the 2017-18 academic year. That was a 45 percent increase from the 2015-16 school year.
The Kentucky Community and Technical College System saw the biggest jump in dual credit students at 47 percent. The state’s four-year universities saw a 41 percent gain in the number of students enrolled in dual credit.
The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education says studies show the courses increase the likelihood of high school graduates going to college and finishing on time.
Education leaders say the dual credit scholarship program is a factor behind the higher participation rate. The scholarship covers the cost of two courses in either general education or career and technical education.
