AP or Dual Enrollment College Application

Introduction

You have enrolled yourself in an institute that offers AP classes to its students while there is a college nearby that allows its students to go for dual enrolment courses. Now, your mind is resolved around the confusion as to whether or not taking these classes can give you some benefits – given the fact that you have to put your efforts from your hectic routine and busy schedule, especially after the start of college application season. Let us know more about AP or Dual Enrollment College Application in this article!

AP or Dual Enrollment College Application

AP or Dual Enrollment College Application

Both AP and dual enrollment classes are proved to be helpful in college application. This statement especially holds true when both courses are challenging and students who enroll themselves get good scores. Both these programs can be counted as credits but it all depends on the college in which you take admission, the program you choose, or the score you gain.

Continue reading this article if you want to know more about the nitty-gritty details associated with AP and dual enrollment classes. The main areas include the differences between them, where their exams are taken, and which colleges accept their credit.

Does AP or Dual Enrollment affect College Applications?

AP and dual enrollment classes indicate whether the student should get admission in college or not. Taking these courses can help you ace college without any hassle. So, if you get admission in difficult AP or dual enrollment courses and pass them with flying colors, then it can have a very positive impact on your admission.

True, getting high grades in college holds paramount importance in taking admission to any institute.  

However, when the management reviews your application, then checking your GPA is not their only priority to decide if they wish to proceed with your application or give you a denial letter.

To examine more details about the score of the applicant, they also take into consideration academic rigor. And if the college has equal weightage formula, then all the tides turn in the favor of such students who take these courses.

The importance of taking these courses

If the college administration considers the academic rigor of the applicant, it becomes easier for them to analyze whether the student has the pertain qualities needed to get admission to the college or not. Therefore, taking into account all the academic and non-academic aspects makes it easier for them to reach a certain conclusion.

Many institutions in the US give more preference to those students who have done AP classes than those going for dual enrollment programs. Many private institutes fall into this category.

Nevertheless, many courses won’t give credits for the completion – some of them simply allow the students to choose another higher-level course.

On the contrary, some colleges give credits to those who opt for dual enrollment courses.

Whether you opt for AP or dual enrollment classes, doing them and passing them with good grades can stand your application out of the crowd.

Which one is harder: Dual Enrollment Harder or AP?

Dual classes lack standardization. This means that the same course which is easier to attend in one college can be difficult in the other. On the other hand, all the AP courses have the same criteria.

There will be some AP classes that are more difficult than the rest. The same is the case with dual enrollment courses.

However, one thing is common: both types of courses have high demands in high school. Therefore, if you do them, you can easily excel in your institute and this is what the college management wants in your application.

While deciding which one you should take then you need to take into account a factors in your mind. If you want to learn with students that are your same age, then go for AP courses. However, if you want to surround yourself with new and different age group people, taking dual enrollment courses would be a better choice for you.

Moreover, AP classes last over a year while dual enrollment courses can end up in a few months.

Best AP Classes to choose from

Choosing the best AP classes will depend on the college to which you want to get admission. Moreover, your area of interest should be your topmost priority.

However, the most notable AP courses you can take are:

  • AP Biology
  • AP US History
  • AP World History
  • AP French Language and Culture
  • AP Physics
  • AP Statistics
  • AP Chemistry
  • AP Computer Science Principles
  • AP Macroeconomics
  • AP English
  • AP Calculus BC
  • AP Microeconomics
  • AP Psychology
  • AP Calculus AB
  • AP Spanish Language and Culture

However, if you wish to get admission to a highly competitive engineering program, then consider doing these courses:

  • AP Computer Science Principles
  • AP Statistics
  • AP Biology
  • AP Calculus AB
  • AP Macroeconomics
  • AP Physics 1
  • AP Calculus BC
  • AP Chemistry
  • AP Physics 2

Best Dual Enrollment Classes to choose from 

It is difficult to analyze the best dual enrollment courses for students as it all depends on their interests. Some students find an advantage in taking those courses that high school curriculum not include. On the other hand, others prefer to take interest in those courses that help them in choosing their career.

Also, students get experience with the environment of attending college as well. This is because these courses are attended by both school as well as non-school students.

So, if you wish to take these courses, you should go for dual enrollment courses as they can help you achieve your career goals as well. You will also be able to decide whether or not you should select this subject as your major in high school as well.

You may also select these courses so that you can improve your academic rigor as some of them have not been offered by your college.

Here are the names of some of the most important dual enrolment courses:

  • American Government
  • Engineering
  • English Literature
  • Environmental Science
  • Architecture
  • Art History
  • Biology
  • Business
  • Child Development
  • College Algebra
  • Computer Concepts
  • Computer Science
  • Cultural Anthropology
  • Fashion
  • Geography
  • Geology
  • History
  • Humanities
  • Introduction to Business
  • Introduction to Psychology
  • World Regional Geography

Names of those colleges that accept AP Credits

Many institutions whether they are public or private accept AP credits. However, some universities don’t give credit for AP courses at all. On the contrary, certain institutions allow students doing specific AP courses to enroll in higher-level courses.

When compared to dual enrollment classes, AP courses are more accepted in colleges and universities in the US. This is because AP exams are standardized and their exams as well as curricula are formulated by the College Board – the one that manages the SAT. In this regard, many institutes put AP exam scores on a scale from 1 to 5.

But the good news is that some schools allow these students to enroll in higher-level courses, which means that they do not need to do lower-level classes. Still, the rules can vary from school to school as well as from program to program within the same institution.

As per the data released in 2020, here are some names of colleges and universities that accept AP courses:

  • Adelphi University
  • Brigham Young University
  • Bryn Mawr College
  • New York University
  • Northern Arizona University
  • Northern State University
  • Occidental College
  • Brandeis University
  • Ohio State University
  • American University
  • Auburn University
  • Northeast Ohio Medical University
  • Baylor University
  • Black Hills State University
  • Bennington College
  • Boston College
  • Boston University
  • Bowling Green State University
  • California State University system
  • Carleton University
  • Beloit College
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Worcester Polytechnic Institute
  • Wright State University
  • Youngstown State University

AP or Dual Enrollment College Application

Many notable in-state public colleges as well as universities accept the scores given in dual enrollment courses. In some states, although there is a policy implementation regarding dual enrollment policy, public institutions are compelled to accept the credits of these courses. However, some of the private and out-of-state public schools won’t accept dual enrollment credits.

As we have discussed earlier, institutes have more preference for AP courses than dual enrolment courses because of their standardization such as in ACT or SAT.

On the contrary, many public schools prefer dual enrollment credits. Moreover, it has become the law of the state to give extra scores to those students who take dual enrollment classes. This statement especially holds for in-state public institutions, which can be highly beneficial if you plan to take a degree from a public institution in your state.

Below are the names of some of the different states that have clear policies regarding dual enrollment programs:

  • Alabama   
  • Hawaii                
  • Idaho    
  • Illinois  
  • Indiana 
  • Iowa                   
  • Kansas  
  • Kentucky             
  • Louisiana  
  • Arizona        
  • Arkansas                           
  • California                         
  • Delaware                          
  • District of Columbia                      
  • Florida                
  • Georgia       
  • Colorado                          
  • Connecticut                     
Conclusion

There is no denying the fact that both AP courses, as well as dual enrollment programs, can help strengthen your academic precision and thus make your application different from others. However, not every college regards these courses, as it all depends on the institution you decide to enroll in.

Also, don’t forget to take into account different aspects like your schedule, convenience, budget, and the type of experience you want from these courses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does AP or dual enrollment courses have a positive impact on college applications?

AP or dual enrollment classes have a positive impact on a college application. However, it all depends on the college you choose and the score you gain from that course.

Do colleges prefer AP courses over dual enrolment programs?

Many students believe that AP classes are preferable to colleges because of the standardization. But this is no specific rule to this. Different colleges have different policies with respect to these courses.

What are the benefits of taking AP and dual enrollment courses?

It has been analyzed that Dual Enrollment and AP courses help students in shaping their academic careers. They also assist them to gain extra credits that can enable them to secure a good position in a prestigious institution.

How many AP tests you need to pass? 

Prefer to take 4 to 8 exams in your school. If you aim to get admission to good high schools like Ivy League schools, pass seven to 12 AP exams.