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Committee examines dual‑credit growth, funding and competition from out‑of‑state online providers
Summary
Commissioner Sanford presented dual‑credit enrollment and funding data (roughly 6,000 dual‑credit students and ~28,000 credit hours), noted a 61% ND‑stickiness rate for dual‑credit students, and flagged competition from online providers such as Arizona State and Western Governors University.
Commissioner Brent Sanford presented the committee with updated dual‑credit numbers and funding mechanics while raising concerns about competition from out‑of‑state online providers.
Scope and funding: Sanford said dual credit (high school students earning both high school and college credit) accounts for about 6,000 headcount and roughly 28,000 credit hours systemwide. The system reimburses institutions at different rates depending on instructor sourcing: a subsidized K‑12 teacher rate (illustrative example cited at $87 per credit) and a higher rate when a college or university instructor teaches the course. Sanford also highlighted dual credit’s “stickiness”: a substantial share of those dual‑credit students later enroll in NDUS institutions — a figure Sanford cited at about 61 percent.
Competition and access: Committee members raised examples of out‑of‑state providers (Arizona State, Western Governors) offering low‑cost online courses, and asked why ND institutions cannot match those offers statewide. Sanford noted governance limits (State Board decisions), operational constraints (local relationships and high‑school gatekeeping), and that some institutions are now allowed to offer dual credit in their home counties; he suggested online and early‑entry pathways could be expanded to improve statewide access.
Policy implications: The committee discussed whether the system should adjust dual‑credit pricing or governance to reduce leakage to out‑of‑state providers and how to preserve local partnerships while expanding access. Members asked for more coordinated data (including Advanced Placement overlap) and for the system office to work with K‑12 partners on policy levers.
Next steps: staff will return with more comparative data on dual credit, AP interplay, and options to centralize or broaden dual‑credit offerings without weakening local partnerships.
