This year Georgia State’s dual enrollment program has seen a surge of popularity and received more funding from the Georgia Student Finance Commission, according to Georgia State Admissions Counsler and dual enrollment liaison Collyn Alford.
Among 31 Georgia colleges and universities, dual enrollment saw a 26 percent increase from 2013 to 2014, according to a University System of Georgia (USG) release. Between those years the amount of students increased from 5,303 in fall 2013 to 6,700 in fall 2014.
Dual enrollment consists of students taking a variety of college courses while they are still enrolled in high school to earn college credit. However Alford said the dual enrollment process is different from the regular college admission process.
“During the dual enrollment process, students need to have an academic advisor to act as a liaison between the college and high school because it’s a multi-step process,” Alford said. “They have to apply, schedules have to be certified and their financial aid has to work with the funding agency to pay for their tuition.”
Tuition for dual enrollment students is covered by the HOPE Scholarship or by Full Time Equivalency (FTE) funding, according to Alford.
“Georgia State weighs their student fees, but applicants are required to pay the 60 dollar application fee and any other course related fees,” she said.
Alford also said there are approximately 66 high school students currently dual enrolled and participating in the fall semester at Georgia State.
“There are about 65 or 66 dual enrolled students at Georgia State currently taking a variety of core classes,” she said.
Junior business major Brian Phan said joint enrollment was helpful to him when he was in high school.
“Being a former joint enrolled student, it helped me learn a lot about college life, course work and how to interact with my peers and instructors,” he said.
There has also been a slight increase in dual enrollment programs such as Accel and Move on When Ready, according to Alford.
The Accel program is for eligible high school students wishing to take college level course work for credit towards their high school and college graduation requirements, according GAcollege 411 website.
Alford said student participation in the Accel program impacts their Hope Scholarship eligibility and funding comes from The Georgia Student Finance Commission that coordinates payments to elgible post-secondary institutions.
“These program has steadily been growing and we also just recently gotten a receipt of approval for criminal justices classes that students can actually take at our Alpharetta center. We’re hoping that it will increase participation,” she said.
The Georgia Student Fiance Commission is a state agency that provides financial aid by using state approved funding and revenue, according to their website.
Accel’s program students receive an award amount between the price of $270 to $4,000 based on how many credit hours they choose to take, according to the Accel award amount chart.
Since the HOPE Program began in 1993, over $5.8 billion in HOPE funds have been awarded to more than 1.4 million students attending Georgia’s colleges, universities and technical colleges, according to the Georgia Student Finance Commission website.
Students who participate in the Move On When Ready program receive funding from School system’s FTE funding regulated by the state board of education, according to Alford.
Move on When Ready is for students to attend a postsecondary institution full-time during their junior or senior year, according to the Georgia Department of Education website.
Additionally, the university system of Georgia will receive $1.25 million to promote college completion, according to the 2015 Fiscal Year Budget for Higher Education report.
The same report also states that Georgia needs more students to finish post-secondary programs or degrees to spur economic growth.
With as much money being funding in dual enrollment programs, Alford also said its up to universities to promote dual enrollment.
“I think it’s up to the individual colleges and universities to promote their programs and opportunities. Some of it depends on how much the colleges want to invest in time and resources to these programs and students,” she said.
Blake Ellis, a sophomore english major, said the increase in dual enrollment is good for all students.
“It’s good the State of Georgia is encouraging students to further their education. I think everyone should have the college experience,” he said.
Dual enrollment is beneficial and encourages future college students to take a part in it, according to Alford.
“I think it’s a wonderful opportunity to go to college and get the experience. These programs give opportunities to students to understand an college environment and it helps them grow and accept their responsibilities for the demand of college course work,” she said.
She also said it is wise for future students to take advantage of dual enrollment because it could potentially save them money.
“College costs won’t begin to fall any time soon, so parents and students must be resourceful as they plan ahead. However, one low-cost option that they sometimes overlook is Dual Enrollment. It saves money and they can potentially finish their degree program earlier,” Alford said.
