College · Family Resources · Dual enrollment

College credit now,
or the same credit
at full price later.

Type the credits, the program’s price and the college you expect to attend. The calculator counts only the credits that will transfer and tells you what they save.

Run the numbersWhat you get

The dual enrollment cost calculator

The worked example plans 12 credits over junior and senior year. Nothing you type leaves this browser.

Loading the calculator. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

College · Family ResourcesFree

What you finish with
The dual enrollment cost, what the counted credits would cost later, the saving, the cost per counted credit and the semesters done early. It prints as a summary and downloads as a spreadsheet.
Who it is for
High school students and families deciding on dual enrollment, and school counselors walking a family through the cost.
Format
Browser calculator for a phone, tablet or computer, by touch or keyboard. Prints a summary; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); export and import a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Family Resources space in Caveat College.
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Find the program’s price per credit and fees.
  2. Add the books the courses need.
  3. Look up the later college’s price per credit.
  4. Estimate the share that transfers from its equivalency list.
  5. Pick courses that count for the degree you expect.

Run the numbers

How the saving is counted

Only the credits that count toward the degree carry the later price.

The worked example: 12 credits in junior and senior yearNow$1,08012 credits, fees, booksCounted9 credits75% transferLater price$3,4209 credits × $380Saving$2,340later − nowThe worked example: 12 credits in junior and senior yearNow$1,08012 credits, fees, booksCounted9 credits75% transferLater price$3,4209 credits × $380Saving$2,340later − now
Only the credits that count toward the degree are valued at the later price.

What dual enrollment costs

The cost now is the credits times the program’s price per credit, plus fees and books. Some districts cover tuition entirely, in which case fees and books are the whole cost.

What the credits are worth

Credits that transfer replace credits the student would otherwise buy later, so they are valued at the later college’s price per credit: its tuition and required fees divided by a full-time load. Credits that do not count are valued at nothing here, even though they stay on the transcript.

Sources

  1. National Center for Education Statistics. Dual Enrollment: Participation and Characteristics (nces.ed.gov).
  2. Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University. What Happens to Students Who Take Community College Dual Enrollment Courses in High School? (ccrc.tc.columbia.edu).
  3. Federal Student Aid, U.S. Department of Education. Basic eligibility criteria, including a high school diploma or a recognized equivalent (studentaid.gov).
  4. Institute of Education Sciences, What Works Clearinghouse. Transition to College intervention report: Dual Enrollment Programs (ies.ed.gov).

The worked example’s prices and transfer share are examples, not any program’s or college’s figures. Your entries stay in this browser. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.