Early Colleges, a type of dual enrollment program can help high school students complete a significant portion of their Bachelor’s degree before they graduate high school. By enabling high school students to earn college credits before graduation, Early College can significantly reduce the financial barriers to higher education, making it possible to get a college degree faster and less expensively than a traditional arrangement.
Early college initiatives are partnerships between school districts, charter management organizations or high schools and two-year or four-year colleges or universities. They differ from Advanced Placement programs that allow high school students to take courses for college credit. Early College programs enable dual enrollment, so students can take college-level classes, often through a local college, while completing their high school education.
The Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI) was established in 2002 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, along with the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Since then, the Early Colleges have expanded rapidly nationwide.
Early Colleges give students an opportunity to earn college credits toward an associate’s degree or up to two years of college toward a bachelor’s degree at little or no cost to students. Early Colleges also support students as they plan their college education, helping in course selection, guiding them through the transfer process and identifying sources of financial aid.
Research from the American Institutes for Research (AIR) revels that overall, Early Colleges show strong and lasting effectiveness for all students, and that promoting postsecondary access and success can be an effective policy strategy for improving postsecondary enrollment and completion rates. Over the years, these programs have resulted in consistently positive student outcomes. AIR research found that Early College students:
- Performed better on state assessments in English language arts and mathematics than their peers in traditional high schools in their local districts.
- Earned an average of 23 college credits by the time they graduated, and 88 percent had enrolled in college the fall after graduation.
- Were significantly more likely to enroll in college and earn a degree than students in a comparison group with similar characteristics who did not enroll in Early College.
- Benefit all students, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity or family income, not just economically disadvantaged students or those traditionally underrepresented in higher education.
A 2019 AIR study found that over a four-year period, Early Colleges cost high schools approximately $3,800 more than traditional high schools, but the investment resulted in more than $33,000 in increased lifetime earnings for each student.
State education agencies also get involved in Early College initiatives. For instance, In Texas, ECHS programs try to enroll historically underserved students, targeting at-risk and economically disadvantaged. According to the Texas Education Agency, nearly 65,000 students are served by the state’s 182 designated Early College High Schools.
Many colleges and universities partner with their local high schools. For example, Southern Connecticut State University’s SCSU Early College program offers students the opportunity to take courses they wouldn’t typically be able to study in high school, including business, education, science or the arts. Students can earn up to 30 college credits free of charge, if their school or district has partnered with the university’s program.
Montclair State University’s Early College programs are held in the fall and spring terms, and also over the summer. Summer courses include a Pre-Law Academy, Italian Immersion summer program and a Model United Nations Summer Academy. The Early College Scholars Program enables students to attend courses taught by university professors on campus or online.
Oregon Coast Community College offers Early College to high school Juniors and Seniors, enabling them to take one course free of charge each term, with additional courses offered at half-price.
Other schools welcome high-achieving high school Juniors and Seniors to their campus for full-time study. The University of Iowa’s Bucksbaum Early Entrance Academy lets students skip their last two years of high school and enroll in courses, live in residence halls and participate in campus life. The program recommends that students have ACT or SAT scores at or above the national 95th percentile and that students have earned at least a 3.5 BPA before applying. The school also provides extensive support to Bucksbaum Academy students, offering weekly meetings with first-year students, weekly seminars and access to staff and resources.