Total courses taken up 49.9%
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2016) — The number of Kentucky high school students in dual enrollment classes is up 36.3 percent this year, according to the Kentucky Department of Education. Overall, 22,707 students are in dual enrollment classes this year, compared to 16,659 in 2015.
Those students are taking 42,477 dual enrollment classes, up from 28,334 last year, an increase of 49.9 percent.
Gov. Matt Bevin and Education and Workforce Development Secretary Hal Heiner launched the Dual Credit Scholarship Program on June 1. The program provides funds for dual credit scholarships for all 173 public school districts in the commonwealth. The Kentucky General Assembly allocated a total of $15 million for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 academic years, through applying Kentucky Lottery proceeds to their stated goal of education.
“The response to this initiative has been truly astounding,” said Bevin. “We want Kentucky to have the most well educated, well prepared, and workforce-ready young adults in the nation. This program is a vital step in advancing us toward that exciting goal.”
Local school districts apply for the scholarships for each eligible student and course. An amount has been reserved for each high school for dual credit scholarships based on each school’s proportion of seniors.
Eligible dual credit courses include both general education classes and career and technical education courses in state-approved career pathways that lead to an industry-recognized credential.
Participating postsecondary institutions agree to the tuition and fees ceiling for dual credit courses established in the program’s guidelines — one-third of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) in-state tuition rate.
“A high school diploma alone is simply no longer enough to equip today’s students for their futures,” said Heiner. “I believe the choice must be college or college — college on the traditional academic route or college on the career and technical track. Studies show that high schoolers who are exposed to dual credit opportunities are more likely to go on to enroll and succeed in the postsecondary world, and this program helps to level the playing field for all of Kentucky’s students.”
All of Kentucky’s public colleges and universities, plus all but six of the state’s Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accredited private postsecondary institutions, are currently participating in the Dual Credit Scholarship Program.
Participating institutions include: Bellarmine University, Brescia University, Campbellsville University, Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky Christian University, Kentucky State University, Kentucky Wesleyan College, Lindsey Wilson College, Midway University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, Spalding University, Thomas More College, Union College, University of the Cumberlands, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, University of Pikeville, and Western Kentucky University, as well as the 16 colleges of the KCTCS system.
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