UTRGV’s Dual Enrollment program has reported a 25 percent increase over last academic year in the number of students earning college credits while attending high school.
The benefits of dual enrollment include early graduation and tuition-free courses.
In Fall 2017, 576 students were enrolled, and in Fall 2018, 722 students enrolled, according to a UTRGV news release.
“Being able to offer dual enrollment to not only to our Early College high school partners, but to these other districts that we work with, is just another opportunity that we seemed to be able to accomplish that goal,” said Michael Aldape, director of Special Programs, which oversees dual enrollment.
The Dual Enrollment program began in Fall 2015 with the opening of UTRGV. The program works directly with Brownsville Early College High School and Harlingen Early College High School.
Legacy institutions University of Texas-Pan American and University of Texas at Brownsville also offered dual enrollment.
UTRGV works indirectly with about 50 schools in 26 Rio Grande Valley districts, including Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District.
One hundred fifty students are expected to enroll in the Fall 2019 Dual Enrollment program from Harlingen, and about 200 students from Brownsville, according to Aldape.
Students can join the program when they are juniors or seniors in high school.
“They remain eligible until the spring semester of their senior year in high school,” he said. “After that, they’re no longer eligible for dual.”
To apply, students go through the general admission process and the application remains available until two weeks before the semester begins. They also have access to academic advisers.
“If the student waits that long, they’re probably not going to be able to get to the admissions process,” Aldape said. “Our dual enrollment students follow the exact same calendar as all other UTRGV students, as far as deadlines.”
Currently, dual enrollment students can take core classes in the areas of communication, mathematics, life and physical sciences, among other sections, and receive credit.
Students may take online classes, as well. Major-related classes are not available for dual enrollment.
“They’re able to be exposed to the university experience early, and they’re able to start thinking about what it is that interests them,” Aldape said.
Student Educational Outreach oversees the Dual Enrollment program. They have worked with 3,145 students since the opening of the program in 2015.
“These are unduplicated students from Fall 2015 to Fall 2018,” said Cindy Valdez, associate vice president for Student Educational Outreach.
Valdez said one of the major benefits of dual credit is that it’s free. In the past, either the parents or the school district had to pay for these classes.
“Cost is not the barrier for tuition anymore,” she said.
This is the main appeal for students and parents, because students can earn college credit while they’re still enrolled in high school.
Students can interact with future professors and students, which helps them create connections before college.
“They get to know the campus, they feel that they are a Vaquero, and they are because they are considered a university student,” Valdez said.
Dual enrollment students have access to tutoring and counseling services offered at the university.
UTRGV senior Jesus Reyes enrolled in the Harlingen Early College High School and recalls that the best thing for him was to get college credit hours earlier.
Reyes encourages other students to pursue early college because it has many benefits.
“Definitely do it, it’s a big plus,” he said. “If you do it right, you can get two years knocked off of actual college.”
Valdez said that if a student is considering enrolling in dual credit, it should be their own personal decision.
“They have to be academically mature, and also mature as a high school student, to want to take part of that,” she said.
