Does Dual Enrollment Affect High School GPA? (Complete Guide in 2024)
GPA has always been an important factor in deciding which college or higher educational institution you will be going to. What GPA will you be getting will not only depend upon how you are studying but also depend upon the subjects you have taken. There are many students who take dual degrees in high school and are confused about the grading system for it. It creates a lot of confusion among the students about whether Dual enrollment affect high school GPA or not. Thus here we will help you to learn more about it and also will find out what Dual enrollment in high school really means.
Quick Takeaways
- Dual enrollment is a process in which high school students are allowed to pursue college-level classes or courses at a high level.
- Dual enrollment adds up an extra grades as they are weighted on a 5.0 GPA scale.
- There is an extra half point is given for honored and dual courses and an extra 1 for AP or IB courses.
- When you take up dual enrollment and tough courses, it shows your capabilities to challenge yourself.
However, you must read till the end so that you will get a better understanding of dual enrollment and if it affects high school GPA.
What is dual enrollment in high school?
Dual enrollment is a process in which high school students are allowed to pursue college-level classes or courses at a high level. When you take up a dual program in High school it not only helps you to complete the high school but also helps you in getting the college credits. When you are a high school student you will need to complete it by taking fewer classes than the college. The main reason behind this is the transfer credit policy.
Does dual enrollment affect high school GPA?
If you are thinking of taking a dual enrollment you must be interested in knowing whether you will be getting any benefits of it. Fortunately, it adds up an extra grades as they are weighted on a 5.0 GPA scale. It means that just like honor and AP classes, you can get more than a 4.00 GPA when you are enrolled in a dual course. Therefore when you get an A, that can be transferred as A+.
How is the dual enrollment GPA calculated?
One thing you must remember is that how much extra grade you are getting will depend upon the policies of your educational institution. Usually, an extra half point is given for honored and dual courses and an extra 1 for AP or IB courses. On the other hand, there are many institutions that do not follow the traditional grading system for weighted GPA. Therefore you must check the rules and regulations of pure institution before calculating the final GPA. However, to get an idea of the grades you can receive for taking dual enrollment or the other tough subjects, we have mentioned the GPA and the letter grade table for you-
| Letter Grade | Percentage(%age) | Unweighted GPA (Standard) | Weighted GPA (AP Course / IB) | Weighted GPA (Honor Course / Dual enrollments) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A+ | 97 – 100 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| A | 93 – 96 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| A- | 90 – 92 | 3.7 | 4.7 | 4.2 |
| B+ | 87 – 89 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 3.8 |
| B | 83 – 86 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| B- | 80 – 82 | 2.7 | 3.7 | 3.2 |
| C+ | 77 – 79 | 2.3 | 3.3 | 2.8 |
| C | 73 – 76 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.5 |
| C- | 70 – 72 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 2.2 |
| D+ | 67 – 69 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 1.8 |
| D | 65 – 66 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.5 |
| F | Below 65 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Although we have discussed which letter grade we get for the related GPA you have scored, we will be discussing how to calculate the weighted GPA for the dual enrollment-
The weighted GPA system is slightly more complex than the unweighted GPA system. To make it more clear, let us see an example –
There are four courses in a semester, one of which is an honors course, and you have earned the points shown below for different subjects-
- A+ in English
- A in Maths
- B in Dual course
- B in Physics Honours
Now, because your GPA is calculated using the weighted approach, the grade point value for these grades will be –
- A+ – 4.0, A – 4.0, and B 3.5 (There will be an extra half point for the honors Chemistry course and Duola course because your GPA is determined using a weighted system).
- Once you’ve determined the grade points for each subject, sum the grade point values for each subject and divide them by the number of subjects you’ve taken.
- (4.0 + 4.0 + 3.5 + 3.5 = 15)/4 = 3.75
How will dual enrollment improve your chances of getting selected for the college?
When you take up dual enrollment and tough courses, it shows your capabilities to challenge yourself. Also, colleges want students who can challenge themselves and get good scores. Even if you have a lower GPA, the subjects can add an advantage to your selection. There are many colleges that prefer students with hard subjects over students with an average GPA. Therefore we can say that your application may get selected over the students who have received higher GPA by getting easier subject.
Which one should you choose AP/IB courses or Dual enrollment?
Well, the office answer to this question is it will depend upon why you want to take it. The biggest difference between both of them is the points they add on. Usually, you get one extra point for AP or IB courses and half an extra point for dual enrollment or honor courses. If we talk about transfer credits, most of the educational institutions offer transfer credits for AP or IB courses.
On the other hand, there are few institutions usually the state public Universities with transfer credits for dual enrollment. If you are thinking of taking AP or IB courses, remember you will only get the credits if you have taken the exam. However, before deciding which one you should choose, you must ask yourself whether you want to get more knowledge or college credits. If your final reason is to get more credits then you should go for AP or the IB courses. Where is if you want to get more knowledge, then you should choose the dual enrollment course.
Conclusion
GPA is the factor that is not only responsible for admission to higher institutions but also responsible for getting a good job. There are a lot of ways to earn higher GPAs and one of them that many students think is by taking up the dual degree program. Dual enrollment is a process in which high school students are allowed to pursue college-level classes or courses at a high level. It will help you to get extra grades and are generally calculated on the weighted GPA method. You will usually get an extra half point is given for honored and dual courses and an extra 1 for AP or IB courses.
FAQ
Is dual enrollment harder than AP?
Dual enrollment is tough as you will have to focus on two different subjects at the same time. But an important fact over here is that getting the AP courses is much tougher than dual enrollment. It is because there is a rigorous coursework for AP courses than the dual enrollment that helps you to get prepared for college.
