7 Habits to Improve and Grow Your Dual Credit Program

Dual enrollment programs can be an incredible opportunity for students, giving them a head start on higher education, building confidence, and opening up new possibilities for the future. But the programs that truly stand out aren’t successful by accident. They’re guided by intentional habits that help students thrive, strengthen partnerships, keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes, and enable program growth.

The good news? These habits are absolutely achievable no matter the size of your program. In this post, we’re sharing seven simple but powerful practices that highly effective dual enrollment programs have in common and how you can apply them in your own work.

1. Relationship building with your high school partners

Making your high schools true “partners” is the key word here and something that can easily be overlooked in the day-to-day transactions of dual credit programs. Partnerships are strengthened when both parties have agreed upon goals, a clear understanding of individual responsibilities, and opportunities for information sharing and constructive feedback. This can be accomplished by Memorandums of Understanding (MOU), clear and frequent communication with your high schools about program and institutional updates, and intentional spaces for your partners to provide feedback such as an advisory board or end-of-year survey.

A strong MOU goes beyond legal language. It builds trust between institutions, signals long-term commitment, and protects academic integrity. When roles and expectations are clearly outlined, it reduces operational friction and lays the groundwork for scalable growth. This type of investment requires energy, but nurturing these relationships pays dividends in the long run.  

2. Clear communication with families

Parents and guardians are often the last to receive information regarding extracurricular opportunities presented to their students. This is why it is important to offer an open line of communication with parents from the beginning to ensure they are informed and on the same page as the high school and child. You can offer this by sending out mailers, hosting parent information sessions, posting FAQs on your website, and creating a simple and effective “how to support your student” guide. Common topics to discuss are the benefits of dual credit, the difference between dual credit and AP, program deadlines, commonly recommended college courses, course transfer information, and financial information, as applicable.

3. Hosting a dual credit specific orientation

Most colleges and universities require a new student orientation, and many dual credit programs will utilize this pre-existing event as the entrance point for their dual credit students too. However, traditional orientations are filled with information that is not applicable to a high school student taking college classes. Creating and facilitating a custom orientation to be offered either on ground at the college or asynchronously for your dual credit students better ensures that, when classes begin, your students are familiar not just with the policies and procedures (e.g. FERPA and ADA compliance) but also with the philosophical framework to be a successful college student. For the latter, consider covering topics like self-advocacy, how to be a good communicator, time management, and study skills.

4. Intentional advising for dual enrollment success

It is important to remember that enrolling in a dual credit program is the student’s first time taking on college level courses and they will still be coming from a high school mindset. Having a successful advising session means getting to know your student and understanding their future college and career goals. Intentional advising should help the student understand the risks of overscheduling or choosing courses that do not align with their overall goals. Introducing the student to different types of learning modalities is also important. Not all students are as successful in online courses as they are in in-person. Being on campus may also be a struggle for those who are younger. These are all important conversations to have before a student begins their dual credit journey.  

5. Digitized and streamlined dual credit onboarding

Do registration windows have you (and your high school partners) feeling stressed out? Chances are there are some inefficiencies in your onboarding process that are negatively impacting every end user. To improve the experience, required forms should be completable online, student applications should be pared down to only require information necessary for that population, and processes should be automated whenever possible. Using a software platform like DualEnroll can solve a lot of pain points by not only moving key processes online and providing the ability to automate tasks but also offering increased transparency and easy communication for your high school partners to understand where students are at in the registration or enrollment pipeline.

6. Promoting college/university wide buy-in

How often do you feel as though your dual credit program is misunderstood by the rest of your college? Getting institutional buy-in can be a heavy lift for some, but it is also one of the most important steps toward long-term success for both your team and your students. Without wider buy-in, dual credit programs can feel like they are on an island and struggle to access resources and funding. But once the college understands how the dual credit program impacts the college’s overall goals and bottom line, you’ll be able to work together to support student success from dual credit enrollment to post-high school matriculation.

One way to bring leadership and colleagues on board is by highlighting just how many touchpoints dual credit students have across campus and how their early enrollment often leads to stronger matriculation, continued growth, and greater student success overall.  

Dual credit is expanding nationwide, and the momentum isn’t slowing down anytime soon. In many ways, dual and concurrent enrollment is one of the most effective recruitment tools a college can have. Once your institution fully supports the work you’re doing, the benefits will extend far beyond your program–strengthening the entire college for years to come.  

7. Getting involved in dual credit professional organizations like NACEP  

Seek out opportunities to connect with like-minded dual credit professionals at the local, state, and national levels. Joining organizations such as the National Alliance for Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) and the Middle College National Consortium (MCNC) provides access to valuable relationships, listservs, webinars, and resources that can help grow your program to its full potential.

No one understands the complexities, challenges, and victories of a dual credit program quite like those who live the work every day. From navigating policy nuances to supporting students and building sustainable partnerships, the work is layered—and at times, it can feel isolating. Connecting with peers offers reassurance, fresh perspectives, and the shared understanding that only fellow practitioners can provide.

Engaging in local, state, and national conversations not only allows you to learn from others’ experiences but also gives you the opportunity to lend your voice to the dialogue. By sharing what’s working—and what isn’t—you can help shape best practices, influence policy, and strengthen the future of dual credit programs everywhere.

We hope these habits provided you with some new ideas for how to continue growing and improving your dual credit program. If you’d like to talk more about any specific pain points too, please feel free to reach out. We're always happy to brainstorm about program support.