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Information for Institutions of Higher Education

Institutional Eligibility
Course Eligibility
College and High School Credit Guidelines
Student Eligibility
Funding Guidelines

Institutional Eligibility

The Commonwealth Dual Enrollment Program (CDEP) is offered within the public higher education system in Massachusetts. To be eligible for CDEP funding, a community college, state college, or University of Massachusetts campus must plan and develop dual enrollment opportunities with the following guidelines:

• Offer a variety of college-level courses in multiple disciplines.
• Focus efforts to enroll qualified students with particular emphasis on potential first-generation college students and students who are interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields.
• Provide college orientation to familiarize dual enrollment students, their parents/guardians, and high school staff with the expectations of college and the services that are provided, such as financial aid opportunities and the college application process.
• Expand dual enrollment opportunities by including as many qualified students as possible based upon available state funding and in-kind contributions

Please note that students who are neither first generation college students nor interested in STEM fields are also eligible to participate.

For more specific program requirements, please see the 2009 CDEP Request for Proposals (.DOC).

Course Eligibility

Participating students may enroll in credit-bearing college-level courses that:

• Are listed in the participating institution's course catalog.
• Are taught by college faculty.
• Take place on campus, online, or at a high school.

In order to promote transferability of credits earned, the Department of Higher Education and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education also strongly suggest that courses are included in the MassTransfer Block or, in the case of community colleges, are part of the curriculum of Associate's Degrees Eligible for MassTransfer.

Ineligible courses include:

• Remedial/developmental courses (including ESL courses).
• Non-credit courses.
• Physical education, fitness, or recreation courses.
• First-year orientation.

College and High School Credit Guidelines

Students must receive college and high school credit, documented on their college and high school transcripts, for the courses that they successfully complete. Institutions of higher education and high schools are responsible for establishing agreements that ensure that high school students receive credit from both the college and the high school for courses taken as part of CDEP. Students may be asked to collect signatures of college and high school administrators for this purpose.

Student Eligibility

Participating students must meet the following eligibility guidelines:

• Be enrolled in grade 9, 10, 11, or 12 in a Massachusetts public secondary school or non-public school, including home school.
• Meet all course prerequisites per the policies of the participating campus.
• Have a minimum cumulative high school GPA of 3.0 or demonstrate their potential for academic success through submission of evidence of steadily improving high school grades, high class rank, special talent, strong grades in the field of the CDEP course, strong recommendations, etc.

Students who meet eligibility guidelines are not guaranteed participation. Participation is at the discretion of the participating institution of higher education and subject to capacity constraints.

A student with a high school diploma is not eligible to participate. This includes students who graduate in the spring of a given year and wish to enroll in a CDEP course held in the summer or any subsequent term.

Funding Guidelines

CDEP is funded through a discretionary state grant. Interested institutions of higher education submit proposals prior to the beginning of the academic year and are awarded funds based upon their ability to meet the program priorities. Institutions are evaluated on the following criteria:

• Enrollment projections based on student headcount.
• Review of outcomes of the campus' prior years of participation, starting with the 2008–2009 academic year.
• Demonstration of institutional commitment to CDEP (in-kind contributions, cost-sharing, significant outreach to community and target population, detailed planning, etc.).

Funds may be used for:

• Tuition and fees
  • This must be based on current, in-state rates.
• Student textbooks and related materials and student transportation based on student need or geographic isolation.
  • This may represent up to 10 percent of the institution's CDEP budget.
  • Institutions that enroll large numbers of financially needy students may submit a written request to charge the grant more than 10 percent for this line item.
• Faculty salaries (for contract courses only).
  • Institutions may only charge the grant the actual cost of delivering a contract course at a high school. The amount should be based on the adjunct faculty salary for the course, not individual tuition and fees for each student enrolled in the course.
• Administration and coordination of CDEP, including student support services and outreach to high schools.
  • This may represent up to 10 percent of the institution's CDEP budget.

Funds may not be used for:

• Courses taught by non-college faculty, in part or whole.
• Supplanting existing dual enrollment programs.
• Course development.
• Faculty salaries of on-campus or online courses.
• Office equipment.
• Enrollment in ineligible courses.

In order to remain eligible for funding, all participating institutions must submit, at the end of each term, data reports pertaining to the students enrolled in the CDEP and the courses they take.

For more specific funding requirements, please see the 2009 CDEP Request for Proposals (.DOC).