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North Dakota University System outlines scale of dual credit and distinctions with early entry
Summary
NDUS reported that high‑school students generated 82,842 credit hours in the lookback used for the 2025–27 funding formula and described operational differences between dual credit (prearranged, often subsidized) and early entry (catalog courses at regular in‑state tuition).
Deputy Commissioner Lisa Johnson of the North Dakota University System told the Interim Higher Education Institutions Committee that dual credit and early entry are substantial and growing components of North Dakota’s postsecondary pipeline and funding picture.
Johnson said high‑school students generated 82,842 credit hours in the lookback period used for the funding formula; that number represented roughly 44% of total NDUS credit hours used in the 2025–27 funding calculation. NDUS officials noted the lookback period and reporting conventions matter: credit hours reported in the system’s formula are drawn from the 2020–21 through 2022–23 period.
Johnson summarized the operational differences: dual credit courses are prearranged with a K–12 equivalency and commonly involve subsidized tuition when the school district provides the instructor; unsubsidized dual credit reflects when college faculty (as adjuncts) are paid by the college. Early entry differs: it allows students to enroll in the NDUS catalog at regular in‑state tuition and students may negotiate whether they also receive high‑school credit. She said early entry does not require school administrative approval in the same way dual credit does.
Funding supports include a Bank of North Dakota program that covers eligible students’ tuition, fees and textbooks in dual‑credit courses and a state dual‑credit scholarship that can be banked for use after a student enrolls in NDUS. Johnson gave award counts: approximately 1,600 students were awarded the state dual‑credit scholarship in 2021–22; that count fell to about 1,100–1,200 in 2022–23 as an initial backlog cleared.
Johnson also described how NDUS verifies instructor qualifications according to institutional HLC expectations and that campuses must ensure dual‑credit instructors meet credential standards. She said many NDUS campuses provide professional development and in some cases pay K‑12 teachers to acquire additional coursework that qualifies them to deliver dual‑credit instruction.
Committee members asked for further breakdowns NDUS said are available but not in the presentation: ND residents taking online courses out of state, program‑level distance‑education enrollments (certificate vs. degree), and the distribution of dual‑credit activity by high school and campus. Johnson said the system posts a public portal with course lists by high school and by college and that NDUS can supply follow‑up figures at the committee’s request.
Why it matters: Dual credit and early entry are large drivers of system credit production and have immediate implications for state funding allocations, college recruitment, advising needs, and alignment with workforce pathways. The committee asked for additional program‑level and destination data (which NDUS said it can provide).
