Why the names can be confusing
The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office uses dual enrollment as an umbrella term. It notes that other organizations use concurrent enrollment, but does not use that as its official terminology. The label alone does not tell you which process to follow.
Read the Chancellor’s Office definitions ↗The credit distinction to check
For each course, ask whether it will earn both college and high school credit, or college credit only. Record the school’s answer separately from the college’s.
Do not infer the answer from the words “dual” or “concurrent” alone. Ask how your school and college use those labels.
Can these classes help with general education?
College coursework taken during high school may satisfy college general education requirements when the receiving university accepts it for those requirements. Confirm the specific course and the rules for your campus, degree, and admission route.
A course earning high school credit still needs its college requirements checked. A course that earns college credit only also needs those checks.
Review the four credit questions →Terms to recognize
| Term | What to know |
|---|---|
| Concurrent enrollment | Check how the particular college uses this label. Do not treat it as one uniform statewide program. |
| CCAP | A formal partnership between a community college district and an eligible school partner. |
| Non-CCAP | Can include individual college-course enrollment or optional partnership arrangements. |
A useful opening question
“Your website calls this concurrent enrollment. Is this a CCAP or non-CCAP route, and which instructions apply to us?”
If you are looking beyond your school’s course list
Ask about the route
Contact the college’s high school enrollment or admissions office. Ask which process applies to a student at your school who wants this particular course.
Confirm permissions and registration
Find out who must approve the enrollment, whether prerequisites apply, and when the student may register. Ask whether there are limits on eligible courses or units.
Check each kind of credit
Ask your school about graduation credit. Use the university’s guidance for A-G and the relevant college-credit sources for transferability and degree requirements.
Review the four credit questions →Get the practical details
Ask about fees, books, course format, travel, support services, and drop or withdrawal deadlines. Save the college’s answers with your notes.
How my daughter’s school used these terms
At my daughter’s school, dual enrollment meant classes that earned both high school and college credit. Concurrent enrollment meant college classes taken while she was in high school that earned college credit, but did not count toward high school credit.
She took both types of classes. The college credits she earned enabled her to finish college in two years.
That was how her school distinguished the two. Ask your school how it uses the terms and which credit it will award.
That was her experience. Her timeline is not a target for another student, and this guide does not promise the same result.
Questions to bring to your school
- Who should review a college class outside our school’s listed options?
- If approved, how will it appear on the high school record?
- What should we confirm before changing the student’s high school schedule?
Keep the student’s goals and workload in the conversation. A course that fits a schedule still needs to fit the student.
Go to the source
Source pages checked September 17, 2026. Rules can change. Use the current official guidance and confirm how it applies to your student.
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