Dual Credit for High Schoolers

Dual Credit Programs are instructional partnerships between a public secondary school, a charter school, a private school, an Early College High School, or a home school and the college. Course credit is provided to high school students for both high school and college credit. College credit may be for certificate or associate degree programs. Financial aid is limited to those who have either graduated from high school or have a G.E.D.

Eligibility requirements for Dual Credit:

  • To be eligible for enrollment in a dual credit course offered by a public college, students must have at least an eleventh grade high school standing.

  • The student must complete a pre-assessment activity and practice test, administered by the college, prior to taking the official TSI tests.

  • The student must demonstrate college readiness by achieving the minimum passing standard on a relative section(s) on the Texas Success Initiative assessment OR appropriate other test scores eleventh grade exit-level TAKS, (STAAR, ACT or SAT).

  • To be eligible for enrollment in a dual credit course offered by a public college, students must meet all the college's regular prerequisite requirements designated for that course (e.g., minimum score on a specified placement test, minimum grade in a specified previous course, etc.)

  • A student who is exempt from taking the TAKS or STAAR EOC assessments may be otherwise evaluated by an institution to determine eligibility for enrolling in workforce education dual credit courses.

  • Dual credit students who are in their junior or senior year of high school may receive the level-one certificate waiver. A high school student enrolled in Level I Certificate is exempt from TSI. Student is not exempt from TSI if student takes dual credit courses that are not included in the Level I Certificate. This waiver is not made available to the Early College/Middle College High School students or to students who are seeking an associate degree or level-two certificate.

  • An eleventh grade high school student is eligible to enroll in dual credit courses by achieving the following:
    • STAAR Testing prior to spring 2014 - Eleventh grade exit-level STAAR end-of-course (EOC) a student who is tested and performs at or above the minimum score (2000 on reading test/2000 on writing test) of Level 2 on the English II, relevant to the course. And, a student who is tested and performs at or above the minimum score 4000 of Level 2 on the Algebra II EOC.

    • STAAR Testing beginning in spring 2014 - Eleventh grade exit-level STAAR end-of-course (EOC) a student who is tested and performs at or above the minimum score (4000 on the combined reading and writing test) of Level 2 on the English II. And, a student with a 4000 minimum score of level 2 on the Algebra II EOC.

    • A student with a 4000 minimum score of Level 2 on the Algebra I STAAR EOC and passing grade of "C" or better in the Algebra II course is eligible to enroll in college level math course.

    An eligible high school student who has enrolled in dual credit courses in the eleventh grade under the STAAR EOC provisions shall not be required to demonstrate further evidence of eligibility to enroll in dual credit courses in the twelfth grade.


  • An eleventh grade high school student is eligible to enroll in dual credit course(s) requiring TSI completion in reading and/or mathematics during their junior year by achieving a combined score of 107 on the PSAT/NMSQT with a minimum of 50 on the critical reading and/or mathematics test(s) relevant to the courses to be attempted. An eligible high school student who has enrolled in a dual credit course requiring TSI completion in reading and/or mathematics during their junior year and earns a grade of "C" or better, relevant to the courses attempted, has demonstrated eligiblity to enroll in dual credit courses in the twelfth grade. If the student does not earn a grade of "C" or better, the student must demonstrate elibility to enroll in dual credit courses in the twelfth grade.

  • An eleventh grade high school student is also eligible to enroll in dual credit courses requiring TSI completion in writing and/or mathematics during their junior year by achieving a composite score of 23 on the PLAN with a 19 or higher in mathematics and/or English or an equivalent score on the ACT-Aspire as determined by ACT. Test scores must be relevant to the courses to be attempted. An eligible high school student who has enrolled in a dual credit course requiring TSI completion in writing and/or mathematics during their junior year and earns a grade of "C" or better, relevant to the courses attempted, has demonstrated eligibility to enroll in dual credit courses in the twelfth grade. If the Student does not earn a grade of "C" or better, the student must demonstrate eligibility to enroll in dual credit courses in the twelfth grade.

  • A high school student is eligible to enroll in workforce education dual credit courses contained in a Level 2 certificate or applied associate degree program in the eleventh and/or twelfth grade under the following conditions for courses that require:
    • Reading/writing TSI complete:
      • Achieves a Level 2 final recommended score, as defined by TEA, on the English II STAAR EOC; or achieves a combined score of 107 on the PSAT/NMSQT with a minimum of 50 on the reading test; or achieves a composite score of 23 on the PLAN with a 19 or higher in English or an equivalent score on the ACT - Aspire as determined by ACT.
    • Math TSI complete:
      • Achieves a Level 2 final recommended score, as defined by TEA, on the Algebra I STAAR EOC and passing grade of "C" or better in Algebra II course; or achieves a Level 2 final recommended score, as defined by TEA, on Algebra II STAAR EOC; or achieves a combined score of 107 on the PSAT/NMSQT with a minimum of 50 on the mathematics test; or achieves a composite score of 23 on the PLAN with a 19 or higher in mathematics or an equivalent score on the ACT - Aspire as determined by ACT.

  • An eligible high school student who enrolls in workforce education dual credit courses contained in a Level 2 certificate or applied associate degree program during their junior year under the STAAR EOC provisions shall not be required to demonstrate further evidence of eligibility to enroll in dual credit courses in the twelfth grade.

  • An eligible high school student who enrolls in workforce education dual credit courses contained in a Level 2 certificate or applied associate degree program during their junior year under the PSAT/NMSQT, PLAN, or Aspire provisions and earns a grade of "C" or better has demonstrated eligibilty to enroll in dual credit courses in the twelfth grade.

  • An eligible high school student who enrolls in workforce education dual credit courses contained in a Level 2 certificate or appplied associate degree program during their junior year under the PSAT/NMSQT, PLAN, or Aspire provisions and does not earn a grade of "C" or better has demonstrate eligibility to enroll in dual credit courses in the twelfth grade.

  • Students must be at least of junior standing. Exceptions may be made for students with demonstrated outstanding academic performance and capability (as evidenced by achieving or exceeding the minimum TSI college readiness standards on SAT, ACT or TSI assessment). These students must be approved by the principal of the high school and the chief academic officer of the college. These students must demonstrate readiness for college.

  • The college may determine if additional assessments are necessary in order to ensure the student is placed correctly or permitted into dual credit courses. Students may also meet TSI requirements in the relevant content area(s) by receiving a grade of "C" or better in college level core course(s).

  • Students who do not acquire the necessary test score(s) for eligibility purposes should discuss their options with the college Dual Credit Coordinator.

  • Score requirements can be altered by the THECB or Richland College with the currently approved scores being used for eligibility and course placement purposes.

    • High school students may not be enrolled in more than two dual credit courses per semester. Exceptions may be permitted to enroll in more than two courses to a maximum of 15 semester credit hours if recommended to do so by both the chief academic officer of the college or designee who is a mid-level or higher administrator and the high school principal or appropriate home school "official" and under one of the following conditions:

    • Must first take at least two courses and achieve a minimum GPA of 3.00.

    • Proof of having passed all sections of an approved TSI test; or

    • Proof of eligibility to be TSI exempt based upon eleventh grade exit-level TAKS, STAAR, ACT, or SAT appropriate scores by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

    • A student enrolling in more than two dual credit courses in a semester must pass all courses during that semester with a grade of "C" or better to continue to enroll in more than two dual credit courses in following semesters.

    A student may not enroll in more than three courses per academic year at a community college if the community college does not have a service area that includes the student's high school, except to the extent approved by the Commissioner of Texas Education Agency. This provision does not apply to students enrolled in approved Early College High School programs.

    Early College High School provides outreach, curricula and student learning and support programs that enable participating students to combine high school courses and college-level courses to attain the Recommended or Advanced High School Program diploma and earn up to 60 semester credit hours toward an associate or baccalaureate degree by the fifth anniversary of the student's first day of high school.

    Students enrolled in Early College High Schools (ECHS) are exempt from the two dual credit courses per semester limitation. A student enrolled in ECHS may enroll in more than two dual credit courses per semester and may enroll in dual credit coursework with freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior high school standing.

    Students participating in an ECHS must meet eligibility requirements. An ECHS shall assess each student for readiness to engage in any college-level curriculum offered for college credit prior to the student's enrollement in such curriculum. For this assessment, an ECHS may use any instrument otherwise approved for Texas Success Initiative purposes.

    Early College High School students who do not acquire the necessary test score(s) for eligibility purposes should discuss their options with the college Dual Credit Coordinator.

    The college vice president or designate will have a conversation with prospective students under the age of sixteen (16) and their parents/guardians so that expectations of college readiness issues of the students, parents/guardians and college are clarified. These issues will be considered in determining readiness for college-level course work.

    The student must meet all admissions criteria of the college. In addition, students may be withdrawn from the pre-registration course(s) for subsequent semesters or terms if the student withdraws from a course or makes a grade of D or F. Students may be refused re-enrollment unless the student and the parent(s)/guardian(s) agree to abide by written conditions from the college designed to increase the potential for success.

    Eligibility for continued participation in the Dual Credit program requires satisfactory academic performance at the high school; earned grades of A, B or C in all college courses; and parental and school approval for each subsequent semester of enrollment. A student who earns grades of W, D or F may not be eligible for future dual credit courses or may have restrictions.

    Students must discuss with their high school counselor if they wish to withdraw from their college course(s). Students who decide to withdraw must submit the required withdrawal form to the College Dual Credit/Concurrent Enrollment Coordinator or College Registrar by the published deadline.

    Section 51.907 of the Texas Education Code applies to students who enroll in a Texas public institution of higher education for the first time in fall 2007 or later. Based on this law, when you graduate from high school and continue your college education, or any Texas public institution of higher education may not permit students to drop more than six college level credit courses for unacceptable reasons during their entire undergraduate career without penalty. All college level courses dropped after the official drop and add period for the course are included in the six-course limit, including courses dropped at another Texas public institution of higher education, unless it qualifies as an exception.

    It is recommended that students take minimal hours beyond degree requirements to avoid possible higher tuition charges at the institution to which they are transferring. However, semester credit hours earned by the student before graduation from high school and used to satisfy high school graduation requirements are exempt starting Fall 2009.

    Academic freedom is practiced at all Colleges of the DCCCD and appropriate and essential discipline-specific terminology, concepts and principles are utilized as needed in the classroom setting, including within dual credit classes.

    THECB provisions do not require institutions of higher education to offer dual credit courses for high school students.

    EDUC 1300 Learning Framework is a required core course, but EDUC 1300 will not be required of dual credit students while in high school.

    Financial Aid Implications of Dual Credit

    Students are not eligible for state or federal financial aid while enrolled in high school. However, because they are recorded on the college transcript, grades earned for dual credit courses can impact a student's future financial aid.