The Case for Dual Enrollment

• Dual enrollment is crucial to regional economic prosperity and growth, preparing students for high-wage, high-demand jobs.
• Dual enrollment’s financial model must change, with a separate appropriation outside of a school district’s foundation allowance.
• To retain high-tech talent and compete with other states, Michigan must invest in and reform its dual enrollment program. This is a key strategy to help the state achieve its goal of having 60% of the workforce with postsecondary credentials by 2030.

Future jobs require higher education, but fewer students are enrolling in and graduating from college. A potential solution to the problem is dual enrollment.

During a session hosted by the Detroit Drives Degrees Community College Collaborative (D3C3) at the 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference, panelists discussed the cross-sector workgroup policy recommendations for state-wide dual enrollment reform.

The Detroit Regional Chamber’s Greg Handel began the conversation by sharing why the Chamber supports dual enrollment.

“Educational attainment is a crucial component of regional economic prosperity and growth,” he said.

Michigan College Access Network’s Ryan Fewins-Bliss furthered this sentiment, adding that the “data around dual enrollment is outstanding. It’s better than most interventions we can list … it really helps propel students into college.”

Dual enrollment is a key strategy to help the state and the Chamber achieve their goals of having 60% of the workforce with postsecondary credentials by 2030.

By the 11th and 12th grades, high school students become disengaged from school, feeling like their coursework is unaligned with their passions.

“We decided to reimagine the high school experience to be one that empowers and excites students by connecting their coursework to career-connected learning through dual enrollment pathways of their interests,” said Sharon Hopkins of Detroit Public School District (DPSCD).

DPSCD has aggressively and intentionally increased its dual enrollment efforts, citing that it is a significant opportunity for the district to prepare its students for high-wage, high-demand jobs. This year, nearly 2,000 students enrolled in the program with a 96% passing rate.

Michigan high schools are required to make dual enrollment available to their students. Still, only about 7% of Michigan high school seniors have completed dual enrollment courses before the time they graduate due to barriers in place, such as eligibility challenges, an unsuccessful financial model, and hidden tech and transportation costs.

Fewins-Bliss cited eligibility challenges, emphasizing that “using testing scores as the only measure is inequitable.” Instead, the workforce group recommends broadening the program eligibility to include teacher and counselor recommendations, GPA, and other indicators that show a student would be successful in the class.

Another policy recommendation is to address the financial method of dual enrollment. Dual enrollment is a fantastic opportunity for students and their families to receive free higher education, but the situation is severely different for school districts.

Currently, dual enrollment financing comes from a school district’s foundation allowance. Every time a student enrolls in the program, a school district loses funding that could be used for dire needs like air conditioning.

The panelists each emphasized the importance of creating a separate appropriation for dual enrollment and moving the money over to Michigan Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). The cost for the state? Around $60 million.

Despite a high price tag, Henry Ford College’s Russ Kavalhuna is certain of dual enrollment’s lasting benefits.

“There were kids for college and kids not for college … [dual enrollment] is one of the antidotes to that,” Kavalhuna said. “For $65 million, it is an extraordinary return on investment … it’s the marginalized students in high school who get a shot through dual enrollment, which is the best return.” 

The conversation ended with how Conference attendees can assist with the case for dual enrollment. To join the Chamber in expanding Michigan’s dual enrollment footprint, individuals are encouraged to contact their legislative leaders and urge them to support dual enrollment and secure funding for the impactful program.

Fewins-Bliss, Handel, Hopkins, and Kavalhuna are working hard to ensure that dual enrollment is no longer “a whisper in the hallway” but an advertised “free pathway to college credits.”

This 2025 Mackinac Policy Conference session was hosted by Detroit Drives Degrees Community College Collaborative.