Dual credit, dual enrollment students eligible for scholarship

Applications are now open for a new dual credit and dual enrollment scholarship available to high school students taking college classes.

The Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development’s new program would reimburse students for the cost of dual credit and dual enrollment courses, according to a Jan. 10 news release.

Dual credit is a college-level course taught by a high school teacher for both high school and college credit, while dual enrollment is a college course taught by postsecondary faculty to high schoolers for college credit and possible high school credit.

For the 2019-20 school year, 33,954 students enrolled in dual credit courses from public colleges and universities (not including independent institutions) along with 7,252 students in dual enrollment, said Jessica Duren, assistant commissioner for communications and outreach at MDHEWD.

The application is live. As of 11 a.m. Friday, 887 applications had been submitted, Duren said.

To be eligible, students need to be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, have a GPA of 2.5 or more, have been at a high school that participates in the A+ program for two years or more, and meet the A+ good citizenship requirement and be free of illegal drugs and alcohol.

Awards will be prioritized by financial need

according to gross income from the most recent tax year.

The scholarships depend on availability of funding. If students apply by Feb. 1, they will get first priority in being reviewed for an award, and those who apply after that but before the final deadline of April 1 will be reviewed “as funding permits,” according to the release. In the fall, those deadlines are Oct. 1 and Dec. 1.

Duren said the Legislature appropriated $5 million total for this fiscal year, and the past six months have been used to get the program off the ground, so that aid will only apply to this semester, the remaining portion of the fiscal year. She said the awards could be given at any point throughout the semester after applications have been received.

Students will receive the awards after any college scholarships or other non-loan aid is applied. If they take courses at more than one college, they can get the scholarship for each college.

The actual amount varies based on credit hour and cost at each school. In an example on the MDHEWD website, a hypothetical student’s dual credit costs were $235-$250 per course.

“Taking the courses early may give students the motivation to enroll in college after high school, and this scholarship may help students who otherwise would not have been able to afford those classes get a head start,” said Zora Mulligan, commissioner of higher education, in the news release.

To fill out an application, visit dhewd.mo.gov/ppc/ grants/aplusdcdeforstudents.htm