Dual Enrollment courses allow high school students to earn credit toward their high school diploma and college credit at the same time. The number of credits that a student may earn in a high school course varies from course to course.

Where can students take these courses?

FCPS Locations

• FCPS high schools - classes offered during the regular school day
• FCPS academies
• FCPS online campus

These courses are taught by FCPS high school instructors who are NOVA adjunct professors and meet NOVA’s credentialing requirements.

Individual high schools, High school academy sites and the FCPS online campus, determine if they will offer dual enrollment courses based on:

• Teacher endorsement requirements.
• Existing course offerings.
• Student interest.
• Course availability varies by school. Please check with your students school counselor to determine the dual enrollment course offerings at their school.

NOVA Campuses

Students can take regularly scheduled college courses directly through NOVA and be part of the general student population at NOVA. High school students taking a course on a NOVA campus or online are required to pay NOVA’s Tuition & Fees enrollment rates. In order for high school students to take courses at NOVA (on campus or online) they must follow NOVA’s Dual Enrollment Student Procedures.

Who can take Dual Enrollment classes?

• High school juniors and seniors, who meet the established criteria, are eligible to participate in dual enrollment classes.
• Freshmen and sophomores can be granted exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

Cost

NOVA

• Courses taken at an FCPS high school are provided at no cost to the student.
• Concurrent courses (Independent Dual Enrollment) taken at a NOVA campus or through NOVA online require in-state tuition per NOVA’s Tuition & Fees.

Other Colleges

Other colleges may charge tuition. The tuition is significantly discounted because FCPS provides the instructor as well as the facility. The FCPS teacher will communicate tuition and other requirements to students at the beginning of the school year.

Dual Enrollment Benefits

• Exposure to college level coursework.
• NOVA credit if a student passes the class with a C or higher.
• Potential to
  • Earn college credits.
  • Eliminate taking the same course in high school and college.
  • Decrease the time required to finish a college degree, certificate, or industry credential.
  • Lower postsecondary education costs.

Admission Criteria

Students who wish to take a dual enrollment course must meet the criteria set by the college or university for admission into the course. Students work with their high school to register for the course.

Dual Enrollment Policies

In cases where FCPS grading policies conflict with the college or university grading policies, the high school and college grades may differ. These policy differences may include assignment/assessment retakes, extended assignment due dates, and/or the lowest possible score on the grading scale. For course specific policies, students should refer to the college syllabus provided by their Dual Enrollment instructor.

Taking a course for college credit only:

• Students taking courses for college credit only, must indicate this on the Dual Enrollment Recommendation: Individual High School Students form.
• These courses will not appear on high school transcript and students will be responsible for providing a NOVA transcript directly to universities and college when applying.

Requesting both college and high school credit.

• Courses aligned with FCPS curriculum may qualify for high school credit with prior approval. Students should submit the IS 158: Request to Earn High School Credit from Programs Outside of Fairfax County Public Schools form.
• When enrolling at NOVA make sure to complete Dual Enrollment Recommendation Individual High School Students form and check the enrollment option both high school and college credit. This form requires counselor signature.
• Once the course(s) is completed a NOVA transcript must be submitted to the high school in order to be awarded high school credit.

Dual Enrollment Courses in FCPS

Course availability varies by school. Please check with your student's school counselor to determine the dual enrollment course offerings at their school.

Career and Technical Education

Fine and Performing Arts

General Education

NOVA - Northern Virginia Community College
GMU - George Mason University
JMU - James Madison University