Graphic by Jamari Murphy
More Riverside students are choosing dual enrollment than ever before
By Lucinda Dorrance, Aidan Ganter and Jamari Murphy
As Riverside students scrambled to finish their semester, senior Peter Gutay was relaxing at home.
Gutay takes all but one of his classes at Durham Technical Community College (DTCC), which follows the college’s calendar, not Durham Public Schools’. He took final exams on December 6, then had 5 weeks, mostly, off for winter break, going to school for only one class a day during the weeks leading up to break.
“After exams, I was free from school really early… it gave me time to work on applications and other things without worrying about classes,” said Gutay.
Gutay is one of 105 Riverside students dual-enrolled at DTCC. An advanced educational program, in cooperation with Durham Technical Community College, it allows students to take college level courses for transferable credit.
The program began at Riverside, and DPS, in 2011, an avenue for students to further their education by expanding into new classes in a new environment.
As defined on the Durham Tech website “Dual enrollment opens many doors, offering a head start on higher education while still in high school.”
“I think Durham Tech classes will probably help me prepare for college,” said senior Rio Reposa, who looks forward to taking dual enrollment classes this year. One of many who hope dual enrollment will further their education.
In addition to earning college credit, dual enrollment also exposes students to advanced classes, such as AP equivalent courses, or other electives and classes not offered at Riverside. High school students will sit among college students and adult learners who have worked in various careers for many years.
“You get to work with a lot of people that you wouldn’t really work with otherwise,” said senior Landon Whittington, who is taking several advanced courses at Durham Tech.
“I have a class where I’ve got a 15 year old and a 68 year old in the same room,” said Delong.
“It’s that experience,” said Jones, Riverside’s Durham tech liaison. “They’re taking actual college classes, taught by college instructors. They’re in classes with other college-age students, so they’re getting that experience now, so if they choose to go to a four year school after, they’ll already have that taste of college life.”
Jones has worked with Riverside and several other high schools since 2020. His job is equal parts counselor, advisor and coordinator as he gets students interested and eventually dual enrolled.
As stated on the DTCC website, the program offers three significant advantages: cost effectiveness, an accelerated path to more degrees and a seamless path to learning beyond high school.
The website also describes how dual enrollment allows students to take initiative in their futures, earn credits and save money by taking college courses at substantially lower rates.
“This opportunity allows students to accelerate their college education while reducing the cost of tuition.”
This may allow less financially advantaged students to obtain degrees and credits, opening these advanced classes to those who would otherwise not be able to afford them at a four year college, as the cost of education through dual enrollment is significantly lower than taking the same classes in a traditional college.
The cost effectiveness of dual enrollment lies in the college credits students can earn while still in high school. Where dual enrollment offers free tuition and comparatively minor expenses in transportation and materials, the average cost of a college course at a traditional two and four-year colleges cost hundreds and thousands of dollars, respectively. Through dual enrollment, students can earn that credit with no tuition costs, and it’s transferable to most colleges in the state, apart from several private schools, such as Duke, Davidson, and Wake Forest.
“The more credits a student takes, the more money they can potentially save in the future,” said Jones. “Some will end up saving tens of thousands of dollars and that’s a huge deal to a lot of people.”
The monetary accessibility of these classes contributes to the inclusivity of this program, as it provides college level classes and credits to a wider range of those who may be unable to afford the tuition of other colleges.
“The free tuition is helpful for students who may be deterred from going to a four year school,” said Jones. “It can help some students who may have ruled out college because of finances…and that finance part does, or potentially can impact certain groups more than others. I think it helps attract more students to dual enrollment.”
“Some people don’t even have money for community college and classes, so it does kind of help out that it’s free in high school,” said senior Tam Delong, who is interested in a welding career and taking classes at Durham tech to earn his apprenticeship. Welding would have been difficult to obtain without the opportunity of dual enrollment, at least until after high school.
Not only do the credits often transfer to other universities, but the presence of dual enrollment classes on a transcript is viewed very positively by college admissions, giving these students an edge during the application process, too.
“Dual enrollment provides a seamless path to university or other higher learning institutions, giving students a competitive edge in college admissions” the DTCC websi te states.
“It offers a bridge between secondary and postsecondary education” the DTCC website states, “giving students a taste of college life and academics before officially starting their higher education journey.”
As many AP students know, AP exams are a polarizing experience, sometimes blocking a student from earning their credit. In the DTCC curriculum, however, a grade of 70% minimum equates to an earned credit.
This simplified credit system encourages many students to substitute their AP classes with those at DTCC, broadening the range of students who enroll in this program.
“At Durham Tech, you’re almost guaranteed to get the credit,” said junior Ben Slade, who chose to dual-enroll instead of taking several AP classes. “At Riverside, if you take an AP, you have to get a certain grade, and different colleges require different scores.”
To earn a credit for a class, dual enrollment students must pass the class with at least a C average. For many, that’s more appealing than taking AP classes, which may count for college credits by certain colleges for lower, but passing scores.
“If the final grade is an A, B or C, then you get the credit…and it can transfer as a college credit,” said Jones. “Say [a student] didn’t do the best but they got a C, they know they got college credit, and college credit that can transfer.”
A wider assortment of advanced classes than Riverside, including STEM and Technical pathways, for students to specialize to their interest in a field, or take equivalent AP classes.
“They may find a path that aligns with their career goals [at DTCC],” said Jones
“There’s more opportunities because there’s a wider selection of classes,” said senior Callista Robinson, who has chosen to take statistics at Durham tech instead of at Riverside. “Some students may be more confident taking dual enrollment classes, rather than AP classes at Riverside.”
“Durham Tech is very accommodating,” said Delong. “ It gives a lot of pathways…It has stuff for everyone and can help a lot of people out.”
The combination of free tuition, student-friendly policies for earning college credits and exposure to higher education has created a more inclusive environment than traditional advanced academic programs. A 2022 Pirates’ Hook investigation found that students of color were underrepresented in advanced high school classes, both in Durham and nationally.
“Diversity is definitely different there,” said senior Parker Collins, who is taking several asynchronous classes and calculus in-person through dual enrollment.
“We do have PLTW students who do dual enrollment to supplement their engineering courses,” he said. “But [we also] have a lot of students in that program who maybe do trades like automotive, welding and HVAC. That does attract students who weren’t thinking of AP courses.”
But ultimately, it’s the opportunities to do what they want after high school that students mentioned the most.
“I feel like it’s helped a lot. It’s put me on to some employers, and I’m making a lot more money than I used to make,” said Delong.
