Concurrent enrollment promises high school students an advantage on their collegiate pathway.
Certainly, concurrent enrollment increases a student’s likelihood of enrolling in higher education, but
does this benefit continue toward degree attainment? Using data from the Utah System of Higher
Education, the role of concurrent enrollment participation on degree attainment is examined.
Substantially more students who participated in concurrent enrollment earned a degree compared to nonparticipants. Concurrent enrollment students also earned a degree slightly faster than non-participants.
Key Takeaways
- Seventy-seven percent of concurrent enrollment students earned a degree compared to 34% of non-participants.
- Concurrent enrollment students seeking associate degrees graduated seven months faster than non-participants.
- Bachelor’s degree-seeking students with concurrent enrollment credits graduated eight months faster than non-participants.
- Eighty-six percent of concurrent enrollment courses taken were general education credits.
- The more general education courses completed, the more likely a student would graduate.
- Students who completed composition or quantitative literacy courses were likelier to earn a degree.
- The more concurrent enrollment courses a student completed in a classroom—as opposed to online courses—the likelihood of graduating increased by 7%.