Dual enrollment offers students the opportunity to earn college credits while still in high school. Over the last decade, the number of students who have participated in dual-enrollment courses has nearly doubled, with no signs of slowing down. Nationwide, 82 percent of high school students attend a school that offers dual enrollment, and by graduation, about one-third of high school students have taken at least one college-level course. For students from underrepresented communities, these opportunities can be particularly beneficial by boosting confidence, providing a taste of college life and saving students both time and money by giving them a head start on earning college credits.
The City University of New York K16 Initiatives office partners with the New York City Public Schools to offer dual-enrollment opportunities, as well as free college transition programs and support services to all NYCPS high school students through programs like College Now. College Now offers college credit courses in various subject areas, allowing students to earn free college credits while still in high school and preparing them for college. In the 2022–23 academic year, 23,534 students enrolled in 34,156 college-level courses. Moreover, students who participate in College Now transfer in and earn more credits in their first semester at CUNY than students who do not participate.
While dual-enrollment participation continues to grow, there remains a lack of understanding about how dual-enrollment courses would transfer and apply to degree programs across CUNY’s 20 undergraduate colleges. The opacity of the credit mobility process can be especially challenging for students who are trying to bridge the gap between high school and college. To address this issue, the CUNY Transfer Explorer (T-Rex) High School to CUNY site was recently launched in a collaboration involving Ithaka S+R, CUNY’s Office of K16 Initiatives and CUNY’s Office of Student Success Initiatives.
CUNY T-Rex High School to CUNY Site
The CUNY T-Rex High School to CUNY site is specifically designed to address a key challenge in college readiness by helping high school students who have taken College Now credits, as well as Advanced Placement and/or College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams scores, understand how those credits satisfy CUNY degree requirements, including general education requirements, major requirements and electives.
Leveraging the CUNY Transfer Explorer platform (which shows anyone how credits transfer and apply across CUNY campuses), the site allows students to explore degree requirements and see how their earned or anticipated credits align with CUNY degrees, effectively bridging the gap between high school and college. By providing this crucial information, the High School to CUNY site empowers students and those who support them (high school counselors, Community Based Organizations [CBOs], families, etc.) to make informed decisions, gain confidence in their college readiness and better understand the credit mobility process.
Empowering Students to Make Informed Choices
The CUNY T-Rex High School to CUNY site empowers students by allowing them to start their exploration with a personalized experience. Students begin by selecting their high school and can then browse a menu of College Now courses offered at partner CUNY campuses. This feature not only helps students track courses they have already completed but also facilitates the discovery of new course opportunities from across CUNY campuses.
As a final step, students can view a detailed chart and visual diagram that shows how their College Now classes and AP or CLEP exams can transfer and apply to general education, elective and major requirements at specific CUNY colleges. This type of navigational experience provides students with the information they need to decide which courses to take. Depending on individual goals, this could include exploring a major or fulfilling a general education requirement; in the case of the former, a student might be willing to accept receipt of only elective credit from their intended college, while in the latter case, a student would want to make sure the course is awarded credit toward a general education requirement.
Additionally, this experience gives students the foundation they need to make better choices with the guidance of their support systems, ensuring students are taking courses that will apply to key requirements when the courses are transferred. This final step will make recommendations for programs of study based on the selections, as well as provide an easy way to share the results.
Increased College Readiness
The CUNY T-Rex High School to CUNY site is not only targeted toward students but also designed for high school counselors, families and CBOs, who assist students in making decisions about the students’ postsecondary journey. The site provides anyone with an easy-to-follow guide on how to effectively use CUNY T-Rex to best help students navigate their decision-making process. Users can also easily navigate to other CUNY websites to learn more about CUNY degree requirements and academic programs.
By using the CUNY T-Rex High School to CUNY site, students can learn about the dual-enrollment opportunities at their high schools, allowing them to take advantage of these offerings. The introduction of CUNY T-Rex and the concept of transfer, along with tools such as the High School to CUNY site, enables students to familiarize themselves with credit mobility and develop a clear understanding of how college credits are awarded before college enrollment, potentially leading to enhanced academic outcomes.
Greater Understanding of Transfer of Credits Process
By providing clear, accessible information about credit transferability, the CUNY T-Rex High School to CUNY site helps bridge the often-complex gap between high school and college. The tool enables students to make more informed decisions about their college and major choices by maximizing the applicability of the credits they’ve already earned. Additionally, transparency of credit transfer information allows students to understand the process of credit transfer, eliminating the hurdles of an often opaque and complex topic. With information in hand, students and their support systems can have more constructive and informative conversations.
Promoting Usage and Adoption of the CUNY T-Rex High School to CUNY Site
To support users in utilizing the site to its fullest potential, CUNY has developed a comprehensive “train the trainer” initiative to ensure that staff are equipped to train NYCPS, CUNY and CBO stakeholders in using the High School to CUNY site. This initiative is essential to ensuring practitioners support students in understanding how their dual-enrollment credits transfer and apply to specific CUNY colleges. By creating marketing materials, hosting workshops and conducting professional development sessions, CUNY is making this tool accessible to all NYC high school students, empowering them to successfully transfer credits earned in high school to their postsecondary education.
The value of dual-enrollment credits depends on their applicability to specific degree programs at specific colleges, so this site—and the associated training for practitioners—ensures that students, families and counselors have the necessary resources to understand how credits apply. For students who may not know their destination CUNY college or major, comparing different credit transfer scenarios provides a way for them to home in on a college-choice decision based on how different colleges may award credit. By streamlining this process with the new site, CUNY K16 Initiatives is helping students maximize their dual-enrollment opportunities, paving the way for greater college persistence and degree completion.
The CUNY T-Rex High School to CUNY site reflects a collaborative effort among CUNY programs, high school counselors and students, with a shared goal of ensuring that students are well prepared for their college journey. The site not only allows prospective college students to explore various degree programs, but also teaches them about the structure of CUNY degrees and how their dual-enrollment credits can fit into those programs.
The significance of dual-enrollment credits cannot be overstated. These credits offer students a head start on their college education, potentially reducing the time and cost required to complete a degree. By demystifying the process of credit mobility and showing when there is clear applicability to CUNY degrees, the High School to CUNY site equips students with the tools they need to confidently embark on their higher education journey. As dual-enrollment programs continue to grow, the High School to CUNY site is essential for ensuring that students have the information and support they need to succeed in higher education.