{"id":13511,"date":"2026-04-07T07:23:43","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T12:23:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/?post_type=campus_story&p=13511"},"modified":"2026-04-07T07:23:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T12:23:43","slug":"dual-enrollment-programs-give-high-school-students-a-head-start-on-college-degrees","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/dual-enrollment-programs-give-high-school-students-a-head-start-on-college-degrees\/","title":{"rendered":"Dual enrollment programs give high school students a head start on college degrees"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Photo:<\/a>
UW-River Falls management major Hayden Halstead is pictured in the McDonald\u2019s where he works as a manager. Halstead got an early start on his college degree by taking UWRF chemistry courses while still in high school. UWRF photo. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hayden Halstead, a first year University of Wisconsin-River Falls management major from New Richmond, had a great start on a college degree and a career before he even graduated from high school. Halstead\u202falready had work experience as a manager at McDonald\u2019s, where he started\u202fworking\u202fat age 14, and he\u202fstarted earning college credit as a junior\u202fby taking\u202fchemistry\u202fclasses from UWRF through\u202fthe Dual Academic Credit Program (DACP).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have always tried to challenge myself, try new things,\u201d Halstead said. \u201cI saw that opportunity and thought, \u2018Hey,\u202fI’m\u202finterested in chemistry.\u202fI\u2019ll\u202ftry that.\u2019\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Halstead already had the business program at UWRF in mind, but taking dual credit classes\u202fand visiting the campus\u202fhelped confirm that decision.\u202fHaving completed college level classes while still in high school\u202fmade him\u202ffeel\u202fready\u202fto take on\u202fcollege\u202fcoursework.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it was good preparation,\u201d Halstead said. \u201cIt kind of got me in that mindset, seeing what college courses were like.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Halstead continues to work 30 hours a week as a manager while carrying 16\u202fcredits\u202fat UWRF. He looks forward to using his leadership skills in his future career.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m really passionate\u202fand I like to take a group of people and build them into a team.\u201d     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

DACP is a dual enrollment program that allows students to earn high school and college credit simultaneously by taking a class at their high school taught by a high school teacher who has met certain qualifications to be approved as a university instructor in their areas of expertise. The teachers work with a university professor mentor.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In another dual enrollment program, the Early College Credit Program (ECCP), students also earn simultaneous high school and college credit, but they take the classes on a Universities of Wisconsin campus or virtually, taught by a university professor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Annabelle Jensen, a senior from River Falls double majoring\u202fin horticulture and Spanish, began her college journey early by taking Spanish, plant\u202fscience\u202fand soil science courses\u202fwhile still in high school via the ECCP at\u202fUWRF.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The classes\u202fput\u202fJensen on course to be the first in her family to attend college and gave her\u202fa great head start on her double major.\u202fIt was a visit to the UWRF campus, however,\u202fthat really set her on the path to her future career.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI fell in love with the greenhouse,\u201d Jensen said.\u202f\u201cWith the lights, it glows at night. I was like a moth to a flame.\u201d   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jensen developed an interest in hydroponic commercial production while conducting experiments growing potatoes in water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot every place has the perfect soil for growing food,\u201d she said.\u202f\u201cIn water, you can grow\u202fpractically\u202feverything. That\u202fmade\u202fme optimistic about what we can do in the future, feeding whole communities.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A study abroad opportunity in Puerto Rico allowed Jensen to experience food production in a tropical climate and to\u202ffurther develop\u202fher Spanish skills. After graduation, she would like to work in a laboratory setting,\u202fpossibly\u202fin\u202fa Spanish-speaking country or a community where the language is used.    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWith two majors, I have done double the work, so I’ll\u202fhave double the opportunity,\u201d Jensen said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"a<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Annabelle Jensen, a senior double majoring\u202fin horticulture and Spanish, stands in the UW-River Falls greenhouse. Jensen says taking college courses while still in high school gave her a head start on her degree and helped her find her career path. UWRF photo.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jump starting a degree <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jensen\u2019s case is a good example of how dual enrollment can help students get a head start on a college degree, said Jamie Schneider, assistant dean of the College of Arts and Sciences who serves as the administrator of dual enrollment programming at UWRF.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHaving those credits gives students more flexibility to take a semester abroad, pursue deeper credentialing, work and participate in sports and extracurriculars without delaying graduation,\u201d Schneider said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students who earn college credit while in high school are more likely to continue their education and earn a degree. Over 87% of Wisconsin students who earn dual enrollment credits from UWRF go on to attend a college or technical college after high school. 45% attend a Universities of Wisconsin campus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey have built their confidence and know they can be successful,\u201d Schneider said. \u201cBy the time they get to campus, they have already learned a lot about \u2018how to college.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another benefit is the opportunity for students to take classes not offered by their high school, including introductory career courses in fields like social work, teacher education and engineering. Dual enrollment students also have access to UWRF library systems, involvement activities and events including athletics, theatre and music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students who earn dual enrollment credits from UWRF are also guaranteed automatic admission and a $1,000 scholarship if they choose to enroll at the university after high school.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corbin Wild, a first year mathematics major from River Falls, took statistics and calculus classes from UWRF through both DACP and ECCP. 
The classes helped\u202fWild\u202frealize he had a strong interest in\u202fstatistics.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStatistics plays such a huge role in our everyday life,\u201d Wild said. \u201cWe see it all over the news, you see it in reports\u202fand it\u2019s about interpreting and understanding that information.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wild plans to put\u202fhis statistical skills to work as an actuary. Actuaries use data analysis to\u202fassess risk and\u202fdrive strategic decisions, often working in the insurance or financial\u202fand retirement\u202findustries.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wild was able to work on a research project in his first semester as a degree-seeking student at UWRF because of the advanced math coursework that he completed through DACP and ECCP.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat an amazing opportunity to be able to showcase such great thinking and communication skills as a first year student,\u201d Schneider said. 
Besides\u202fkeeping up with\u202fhis classwork, Wild\u202fparticipates\u202fin the UWRF Honors Program and Actuarial Club and works part time as a teller at River Falls State Bank.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"a<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

UW-River Falls mathematics major Corbin Wild presents a research project at the 2025 Undergraduate Research, Scholarly and Creative Activity (URSCA) Fall Gala. Taking dual enrollment college courses while still in high school helped Wild prepare for college and discover his interest in statistics. UWRF photo.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n


Growing enrollment <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

More than a quarter of Wisconsin high school students now earn dual-enrollment credits from a university or a technical college and the number of students participating continues to grow. During the 2019-2020 school year, 126 students from 14 participating high schools earned 704 total credits through UWRF dual enrollment programs. In 2025-2026, the number has grown to serve 675 students earning 3157 credits during the fall semester alone with another 405 students earning 1763 credits in the spring semester. The students in 2025-2026 came from 46 different Wisconsin high schools along with home-schooled pupils. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

DACP at UWRF currently partners with 32 teachers from 13 different Wisconsin high schools with more approaching the university yearly. Current participating schools include Amery, Arcadia, Belleville, Glenwood City, Holmen, Hudson, Marshfield, New Richmond, Osceola, River Falls, Somerset, Spring Valley and St Croix Central. DACP classes come from a variety of disciplines including agriculture education, biology, chemistry, English, engineering, environmental science, mathematics and statistics, music, physics, political science, psychology and teacher education.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students in ECCP take predominantly 100- and 200-level classes from across the full range of course offerings at UWRF as they explore interests in different majors and general education programming. Participation in ECCP is more individualized by student requests with students from over 70 different Wisconsin high schools completing coursework through ECCP in the past five years.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are proud to bring these advanced coursework options to so many students from across the state of Wisconsin, including many rural partner high schools,\u201d Schneider said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information about earning college credit from UWRF while in high school, visit uwrf.edu\/admissions\/high-school-credit-options<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Written by UW-River Falls<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwrf.edu\/newsroom\/2026\/03\/dual-enrollment-programs-give-high-school-students-head-start-college-degrees<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hayden Halstead, a first year University of Wisconsin-River Falls management major from New Richmond, had a great start on a college degree and a career before he even graduated from high school. Halstead\u202falready had work experience as a manager at McDonald\u2019s, where he started\u202fworking\u202fat age 14, and he\u202fstarted earning college credit as a junior\u202fby taking\u202fchemistry\u202fclasses […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":13512,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[100],"story_category":[147],"class_list":["post-13511","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-river-falls","story_category-community"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/13511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13511"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=13511"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=13511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}