Early College Opportunities

Are You Ready to Take a College Class?

Each public Rhode Island higher education institution has established minimum eligibility criteria for high school students who wish to take dual and concurrent enrollment courses. If you meet these criteria, you may be on your way to taking a college class! And, don’t forget to explore other college-level opportunities your school offers, like Advanced Placement (AP) classes and dual enrollment with other private institutions. Any Rhode Island student can take advanced courses outside of school time through RIDE's All Course Network. 

Ask your school counselor or school administrator what you need to do to take a dual or concurrent enrollment class at one of Rhode Island's public postsecondary institutions. Make sure you verify that the course you want to take will also count toward your graduation requirements. Your school or district may also have additional enrollment requirements.

• Student Guide to Taking College Classes in High School
• Questions? email Elizabeth.Texeira@ride.ri.gov

Concurrent Enrollment

Many high schools will offer college classes that are taught by high school instructors. This means that you can take a college class and earn college credit without leaving your high school. The concurrent enrollment course catalog lists the courses that may be available at your school. Be sure to ask your counselor or school administrator what concurrent enrollment classes are offered at your school. Visit each institutions tab below for more information.

Click here for a list of 2022-2023 Concurrent Enrollment offerings.

Dual Enrollment

Dual enrollment means you receive the approval of your school counselor or administrator to take a college class that is taught by the professor on the college campus. Make sure you verify that the course you want to take will also count toward your graduation requirements. Your school will be available to assist you in registration and working with your schedule. You may be responsible for your own transportation to the dual enrollment class.

Make sure you review and know the calendar and registration dates for the school you’re interested in. Helpful links can be found at each institution’s tab below.

Remember Your Responsibilities as a College Student

Regardless of where you take a college class, you are responsible for meeting the course expectations, requirements and following the course syllabus. This information will be given to you by the instructor at the beginning of each course. The syllabus will tell you what you can expect to learn and what is expected from you such as:

• An overview of course content and learning objectives for the course
• Reading assignments with due dates
• Papers, tests, oral reports, or projects required
• An explanation of how you will be graded (grading policies)
• Class policies on attendance, lateness, retaking tests, late assignments, plagiarism, classroom behavior 

It is your responsibility to keep up with the course deadlines. It is vital that you pay attention to withdrawal and add/drop deadlines from the institution that is offering the course. Your grade will appear on an official college transcript. If you drop the course after the deadlines or receive a failing grade, this may impact your financial aid and/or GPA during college in the future. 

If you are thinking of dropping a course for any reason, talk with your school counselor as soon as possible. The course you've chosen counts toward your high school requirements and dropping or failing the class may impact the credit you need for high school graduation.

Course Tuition and Costs

Governor Raimondo's Prepare RI Dual Enrollment Fund for the 2019-20 school year was included as part of the the FY20 State budget and is pending approval by the General Assembly. The Prepare RI Dual Enrollment Fund provides funding for qualified public high school student to take college courses from Rhode Island’s public higher education institutions as part of their high school requirements at no cost to the student or family. This means you do not have to pay the cost of tuition or fees. The cost of books and associated course materials will be covered by your school or district if you are taking the course for high school credit.

Course Transfer Information

College credits transfer among RI's public higher education institutions in a variety of ways. Visit how courses transfer for more information. To see minimum grade requirements for transferring courses visit the transfer credit policy. If a course is not listed it may transfer as a free elective pending review. You can look up how a course taken at CCRI, RIC, or URI transfers to another of the RI public higher education institutions at RITransfers.org

Follow These Steps:

1. From the RI Transfers website, click on How Courses Transfer box on the left side of the homepage
2. Then click on Course to Course Equivalencies. 
3. Click on the college or university where you want to have the credits transferred
4. Click on the college where you took the course
5. Enter the course code (the letter abbreviation and number) for the course 
6. Then hit search

Dual Enrollment Information for Schools and Districts

Rhode Island's public postsecondary institutions: Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College and University of Rhode Island offer a number of ways for Rhode Island public schools to support their students in participating in college-credit bearing coursework. All three institutions offer both dual enrollment - coursework conducted at the college campus or online taught by a college faculty member - and, concurrent enrollment - coursework approved by the postsecondary institution to be offered at the high school by a high school teacher. Schools interested in adding concurrent enrollment coursework to their course catalog should review the Board of Education approved concurrent enrollment catalog, below, and contact the respective postsecondary institution contact to initiate the process.

School Responsibilities

Each public postsecondary institution has assigned a staff coordinator to oversee the selection and delivery of dual and concurrent courses. It is recommended that your school or district designate a staff member(s) to ensure the consistent communication between your school and the institution. Each Rhode Island public high school should also designate a staff member who can liaise with the Postsecondary coordinator. The school or LEA designated staff can be the main the point of contact for:

• Advising colleagues in supporting students to select courses that match their interests and meet their graduation requirements 
• Assisting students with dual and concurrent registration
• Confirming enrollments with the institution
• Communicating the available opportunities, benefits and risks to students and families
• Ensuring final grades are coordinated with each institution
• Identifying and assisting qualified high school instructors to be approved to teach concurrent enrollment courses

Course Costs

Students enrolled in a Rhode Island Public High School may access dual and concurrent coursework at no costs to them or their families. Through the state's PrepareRI Dual Enrollment Fund, tuition and fees are covered for part-time enrollment tuition and fees including concurrent enrollment. If a student accesses the Full-Time Running Start Program at CCRI, tuition and fees are covered by the student's district. Each scenario is described below in more detail.

Part-Time Dual Enrollment and Concurrent Enrollment

Governor Raimondo’s Prepare RI Dual Enrollment Fund was included as part of the FY20 state budget and is pending approval by the General Assembly. The PrepareRI Dual Enrollment Fund provides funding to enable qualified students to participate in dual- and concurrent-enrollment programming with URI, RIC and CCRI as part of their high school requirements at no cost to students and families. The Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner will reimburse URI, RIC and CCRI for the per credit tuition cost and fees for students participating in dual and concurrent enrollment programming. This means schools and districts do not pay the cost of tuition, application or fees. The course costs outlined in the concurrent enrollment course catalog are covered by the Prepare RI Dual Enrollment Fund. 

Full-Time Dual Enrollment through the Running Start Program

In May 2018, The Board of Education revised the state's Dual Enrollment Regulations to improve upon the sustainability and quality controls in place for all dual enrollment programming. Among the changes was the acknowledgement that students enrolled in full-time course work such as through the Running Start Program at CCRI, do not spend their senior year at their high school campus. Given this, the regulations direct LEAs to cover the cost of students attending the program out of their student allocation. The regulations provide guard rails for the district in the event that the cost of full time enrollment increases. LEAs would not be required to pay more than 50% of the core instructional per pupil amount of state and local education aid as determined by RIDE. The regulations limit student's full time enrollment to only Community College of Rhode Island but allow for an appeal process with the Postsecondary Commissioner's office.

Dual Enrollment Regulations

The regulations for dual enrollment support the expansion of early college access for all qualified Rhode Island students. The regulations:

• Ensure students receive both high school and college credit
• Provide all qualified students access through dual enrollment to courses offered by URI, RIC and CCRI
• Create a process for high schools to expand concurrent enrollment courses
• Establish eligibility criteria which allows teachers, students, and families to see if students are prepared to take college level coursework
• Remove barriers to participation for low-income students.

On May 30, 2018, The Board of Education approved revised Regulations for Dual Enrollment. The primary changes are:

• Requires Districts / LEAs to pay for students enrolled full-time with CCRI. It caps the amount a district must pay per student to 50% of the core instruction per pupil rate as determined by the Rhode Island Department of Education.
• The regulation also includes the parameters for allocation of funds in instances where there is a dedicated funding stream for dual enrollment courses.
• The regulation outlines the standards for program quality and provides for the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner to work together to ensure the quality of these courses.

Benefits of Dual Enrollment

The benefits of taking college courses while still in high school go beyond simply earning credit and reducing the cost of college. Research shows that students who participate in dual and concurrent enrollment as high students¹:

• Are more likely to meet college-readiness benchmarks
• Are more likely to enter college, and enter shortly after high school graduation
• Less likely to place into remedial English or math
• Have higher first-year college grade point average
• Have higher second-year retention rates
• Have higher four- and six-year college completion rates
• Have shorter average time to bachelor’s degree completion for those completing in six years or less

^{1 Increasing Student Access and Success in Dual Enrollment Programs: 13 Model State-Level Policy Components}

Who Should Take an AP Class? Am I Ready?

AP classes can be challenging, but any student who is willing to work hard and is prepared academically can succeed AP. Students can take advantage of additional resources available through College Board to get extra practice for their AP class. 

How Can I Take an AP Class?

Students in Rhode Island have two options for taking AP Courses. 

1. Take an AP Class at your School

High schools across the state offer AP options. These courses are taught during the school day by one of the teachers at your school. Ask your teachers or counselor about what APs are offered at your school. 

2. Take an AP Class on the All Course Network

The All Course Network (ACN) is a state-wide platform where students across Rhode Island can take courses outside of school hours. Students can take an AP class through the ACN for FREE! ACN students also take the AP exam for free. Go to enrollri.org/acn and search "AP" to see current offerings. 

What are the Benefits of AP?

Taking AP courses can give students an advantage in the college application process by showing you are ready for college-level work. Most colleges and universities also award college credit to students who score at least a 3 out of 5 on the AP exam. 

Are There Any Costs Associated with AP Class?

There is a fee to take the AP exam. However, many schools will help students pay for exams. Students can also request an exam fee reduction waiver from College Board. Further, any Rhode Island student can take an AP class and the AP exam for FREE through the ACN.