Dual Credit Programs: Earning College Credit While Still in High School
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Sep 27, 2026 • Updated Sep 27, 2026 • Canadian Universities & Colleges
Dual credit programs let you take a college or apprenticeship course while still in high school, and the credit counts toward both your diploma and a postsecondary credential.
🎓 Ontario dual credit courses count toward your Ontario Secondary School Diploma and a college certificate, diploma, degree, or apprenticeship certificate
In BC, grades 11 and 12 students take dual credit courses that count as high school electives and postsecondary credit
BC schools receive over $1,000 per course from the province to cover tuition and support
BC students who take dual credit are 12% more likely to graduate on time and 16% more likely to move straight into BC public postsecondary
Ask your guidance counsellor, since eligibility and available courses depend on your school and province
What a dual credit program is
A dual credit course counts twice: once toward your high school diploma and once toward a college diploma, degree, or apprenticeship certificate. You take the course, often through a partnership between your high school and a local college, while still enrolled in secondary school. The goal is to let you test a postsecondary path, build momentum toward graduation, and start earning real credential credit before you finish grade 12.
Every province runs its own version, with different names, eligibility rules, and course lists, since education policy sits with the provinces. Two of the largest and most established systems run in Ontario and British Columbia.
How Ontario's dual credit program works
Ontario's dual credit program lets you take college courses or Level 1 apprenticeship training that count toward both your Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) and a postsecondary certificate, diploma, degree, or Certificate of Apprenticeship. There are three delivery paths.
| Delivery path | How it works |
|---|---|
| College-delivered courses | You take an actual college course, worth up to 4 optional high school credits, taught by college faculty |
| Team-taught courses | A college instructor and a high school teacher co-deliver a course with heavy curriculum overlap between the two systems |
| Approved training agents | Non-college organizations, including employers, unions, career colleges, nonprofits, and Indigenous organizations, deliver Level 1 apprenticeship training |
Eligibility is decided at the school level by your principal or guidance counsellor. Typical qualifying situations include being at risk of not graduating, enrolled in a specialized program, returning to finish a diploma, or exploring a career pathway or apprenticeship. The Ministry of Education funds the program, so there is no extra tuition charge to you as the student.
How British Columbia's dual credit program works
In BC, grade 11 and 12 students enroll in post-secondary courses that count simultaneously as a Grade 12 elective credit and postsecondary credit . To take part, you must be under 19, enrolled in grade 11 or 12, have a planned program of courses on file with your school, and start the dual credit course before your June 30 graduation deadline. The postsecondary institution has to be part of the BC Transfer System, a SkilledTradesBC certified provider, or Educacentre for French-language courses.
BC schools receive over $1,000 per course from the province to cover tuition and student supports, so the course itself is funded. You still cover extra costs like textbooks, equipment, certification fees, or transportation in some cases, though schools work to remove financial barriers where they can. The province reports that BC students who take dual credit courses are 12% more likely to graduate high school on time and 16% more likely to move directly into a BC public postsecondary institution afterward.
Common concerns about dual credit
Workload: a dual credit course adds a college-level course to your regular high school timetable, so plan your semester schedule with room for the extra work
Grades: your dual credit grade normally counts on both your high school and postsecondary transcript, so treat it with the same seriousness as any other transcript entry
Location: some dual credit courses run on the college campus, others run at your high school or online, and the format affects your daily schedule and transportation needs
What to check in your own province
Ask your school's guidance counsellor what dual credit or dual enrollment options exist locally, since course lists differ by school and by partnership with nearby colleges
Check your provincial ministry of education website for the official program name and eligibility rules, since terminology varies. Ontario's coordinating partnership between school boards and colleges is called the School College Work Initiative, while other provinces use terms like dual enrollment or concurrent enrollment
Confirm in writing which specific postsecondary credential the course counts toward before you enroll, since not every dual credit course transfers to every program
Ask about cost, since some provinces fund the course fully while others leave materials or transportation costs to you
Why it is worth doing
A dual credit course gives you a real postsecondary transcript entry before you finish high school, which shortens your program later and lowers your total tuition bill. It also lets you test whether a subject, trade, or college environment fits you before you commit to a full program and pay full tuition for it. Talk to your guidance counsellor early in grade 11, since spots in popular dual credit courses fill up and some paths need planning a full year ahead.
Dual credit works best as a targeted addition to a normal course load rather than a way to skip grade 12 entirely. Use it to explore a specific career direction, apprenticeship trade, or academic subject before you commit years and tuition dollars to a full postsecondary program in that field. Keep a copy of the dual credit transcript entry once your course ends, since a postsecondary registrar sometimes asks you to confirm the credit directly if it does not show automatically on your record.