Taking college courses while in high school gives students the opportunity to get experience in college-level courses and save money on their higher education. Dual enrollment programs are excellent opportunities for students to gain confidence and build momentum toward a college degree.

As the region’s leading provider of dual enrollment courses, the State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota takes this role very seriously. We are committed to maintaining the integrity of our courses while providing students opportunities that enhance their education while not inhibiting their future access to financial aid.

SCF offers multiple dual enrollment opportunities, including courses on each of its three campuses and in area high schools. We also have an accelerated dual enrollment program on our Venice Campus for 11^th and 12^th graders that allows students to earn an Associate’s Degree at the same time as their high school diploma.

The greatest benefits of dual enrollment come from taking a class on a college campus, receiving instruction from a professor with expertise in their field and taking part in classroom discussions with students of all ages and backgrounds. Success in this environment while in high school is a great indicator for success when enrolled in a college or university.

Participation in dual enrollment has been shown to increase both high school completion and college enrollment. It also reduces the cost of college and time it takes to complete a degree. Research shows that former dual enrollment students are more likely to enroll full-time in college and perform better while there, earning more credits with better grades than their peers who did not participate in the program in high school.

Dual enrollment courses are free for Florida high school students, which creates a great opportunity for students, but is also an area to be carefully managed. Too much of a good thing can limit access to financial aid later in a student’s education.

SCF is aligning its dual enrollment courses in our local high schools with college general education requirements to help students avoid future issues with federal financial aid. The concern is that students can take too many elective courses or courses that may not apply to the degree program they later select in college.

Federal financial aid guidelines require that all of the courses a student takes must be in their degree program. An Associate of Arts degree allows students to take 36 hours of general education courses and 24 hours of electives. Any courses taken beyond those limits do not qualify for aid. This could cause students to pay out of pocket for courses or take extra courses in college in order to complete their degree.

In our local high schools our solution is to offer general education courses in our dual enrollment program which can be taken without the risk of overlap later in students’ higher education. This creates a balance for our dual enrollment students of allowing them to get some of their general education requirements out of the way while in high school without running the risk of violating federal financial aid coursework compliance guidelines in college.

Students interested in taking dual enrollment courses should talk to their guidance counselor to identify the courses that best fit their future plans. Information about SCF’s dual enrollment/early college program is available at http://www.SCF.edu/StudentServices/EducationalRecords/EarlyCollege.

Dual enrollment offers great opportunities for students to get a jump on their college degree. As the region’s leading provider of dual enrollment courses, we want to ensure that students take courses that positively impact their future.

Dr. Carol Probstfeld is president of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota.