A Longitudinal Study Examining Dual Enrollment as a Strategy for Easing the Transition to College and Career for Emerging Adults

Abstract

Successfully transitioning to adulthood requires a successful transition from high school into college or the workforce. Yet for many emerging adults, this transition is not successful, leading to disengagement from school and work. Dual enrollment, where high school students enroll in college coursework, may help to facilitate this important life transition. This study applied propensity score matching to statewide administrative data to investigate the effects of dual enrollment on college and early labor market outcomes. We found a significant effect of dual enrollment on 2-year and 4-year college enrollment, degree attainment, and early labor market earnings 6 years after high school, with stronger effects for students who are traditionally underrepresented (e.g., Black and Other race students and students eligible for free and reduced price meals). This study highlights the potential for targeting dual enrollment programs toward underrepresented students to improve the transition into college and the workforce for emerging adults.

National Evidence of the Relationship Between Dual Enrollment and Student Loan Debt

“…Our findings largely indicating a null relationship between DE coursetaking and students' likelihood of borrowing capture important nuances by examining the long-term financial implications of DE participation. Despite prior work showing the positive influence of DE participation on earnings (Henneberger et al, 2020;Phelps & Chan, 2017), DE course-taking does not appear to be an effective approach for students seeking to attend college without incurring student loan debt. One explanation for the null findings in the aggregate and across multiple subgroups is that the DE credits earned may not be transferable toward students' postsecondary degree plan.…”

“…An (2013a) used nationally representative datasets and found that dually enrolled students with low socioeconomic status (SES) were more likely to obtain a college degree than their more affluent peers, but this disparate effect was not found for students' first-year GPA based on their SES (An, 2013b). This finding was consistent with DE's stronger effects on college enrollment, persistence, and completion for students of color and low-income students (Henneberger et al, 2020;Karp et al, 2007). On the contrary, Taylor (2015) noted that while DE is positively associated with college enrollment and degree completion, its effect sizes were smaller for low-income students and students of color.…”

“…DE programs have been found to be positively associated with students’ academic performance, persistence, and degree attainment in college (e.g., Allen & Dadgar, 2012; An, 2013a, 2015; Grubb et al, 2017; Wang et al, 2015). Additional studies have reported a positive relationship between DE participation and DE students’ earnings in the workforce (Henneberger et al, 2020; Phelps & Chan, 2017). Although DE can decrease the number of credits and time needed for students to graduate from college, little is known regarding the extent to which DE course-taking is related to students’ loan debt and borrowing behaviors.…”

“…DE programs have been found to be positively associated with students' academic performance, persistence, and degree attainment in college (e.g., Allen & Dadgar, 2012;An, 2013aGrubb et al, 2017;Wang et al, 2015). Additional studies have reported a positive relationship between DE participation and DE students' earnings in the workforce (Henneberger et al, 2020;Phelps & Chan, 2017).…”

Does Delivery Location Matter? A National Study of the Impact of Dual Enrollment on College Readiness and Early Academic Momentum

“…The academic benefits associated with taking DE courses appear to be stratified on students' sociodemographic characteristics. While some studies found that economically and racially minoritized students may benefit more from DE's positive effects in terms of postsecondary access, persistence, and degree attainment (An, 2013a;Henneberger et al, 2020;Karp et al, 2007), this disparate effect was not found for their first-year GPA (An, 2013b). On the contrary, Taylor (2015) used Illinois' administrative data and found smaller effect sizes for economically and racially minoritized students when examining the relationship between DE participation and college success.…”