In dual enrollment programs, high school students can take college courses and earn both high school and college credit—but in the past, dual enrollment had been used mostly by high-achieving students. In 2016, the California Legislature passed a law that expanded access to students who had been underserved in higher education. The resulting program, College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP), has become the fastest growing dual enrollment option in California, jumping fivefold from just under 4,500 students in 2016 to nearly 25,000 in 2020.

The jump in participation has also resulted in greater equity for students who have been underrepresented in California colleges, as the share of CCAP students is similar to the makeup of California’s K–12 student population:

Latino: 58% of CCAP participants compared with 53% of all 12th grade students
Asian: 12% of CCAP compared with 9% of all 12th graders
Black: 4% of CCAP compared with 6% of all 12th graders
White: 19% of CCAP compared with 24% of all 12th graders

What are the benefits of College and Career Access Pathways?

California offers several types of dual enrollment programs at no cost to students and their families, but only CCAP courses are held on high school campuses during the school day and limited to only high school students.

The advent of CCAP has given a broad range of students access to dual enrollment and has set more students on the path to college. Students from CCAP programs enroll in college at a rate of 82%, well above the state average for all high school graduates (66%). A slight majority of CCAP students head to a California community college (51%); fewer choose a four-year college (31%). While the share enrolling in community college is promising, it does raise concerns that CCAP students may not be pursuing four-year colleges and may miss out on the benefits of a bachelor’s degree down the road.

Most CCAP students enroll in college, with over half enrolling in California Community Colleges

figure - Most CCAP students enroll in college, with over half enrolling in a California Community College

SOURCE: Authors’ calculation using COMIS data from Rodriguez & Gao (2021) using matched MIS and NSC data. Statewide data with all high school graduates are from CDE college-going rate using NSC data.

How do students in CCAP dual enrollment programs perform?

About two-thirds of CCAP students intend to complete an associate degree or transfer to a bachelor’s degree program. And CCAP students are doing better towards attaining their goals—overall and by race/ethnicity—than peers who did not participate in dual enrollment. In community college, CCAP students earn credit awards such as associate degrees or certificates within three years of enrollment at higher rates (21%) than those who did not opt for dual enrollment (14%).

CCAP students are slightly less likely to complete these credit awards than students from other dual enrollment programs (25%). Furthermore, disparities exist by race/ethnicity, with greater shares of Asian students (29%) and white students (28%) completing this milestone within three years than Latino students (19%) and Black students (14%). But, Black and Latino CCAP students complete a certificate or degree at higher rates than peers who are not dual enrollees (12% Latino, 8% Black).

In the first year that students attend community college, average GPA is higher among CCAP students than non-dual enrollees, but again, lower than other dual enrollment students. However, CCAP students have been improving: GPAs have climbed steadily each year, from 2.41 for the high school class of 2016 to 2.69 for the class of 2021.

Given that the CCAP program is targeted to increase college access for underserved student groups, factors such as prior academic achievement, family socio-economic status, and student motivation may influence how they fare in courses and could drive disparities in who reaches academic milestones. For dual enrollment leaders, bolstering supports that help underserved students navigate college life and complete college goals may counter some of the negative factors at play.

How can CCAP programs improve college access and success?

Given that CCAP students are often those who have been underserved by higher education, providing courses where students gain college knowledge and navigational skills could promote stronger outcomes. Through college success courses—which bundle academic, behavioral, and personal supports within one transferrable course—students can learn about college expectations and connect with available supports.

CCAP courses that meet requirements across college segments can help advance students on their college journey. General education courses that transfer across UC, CSU, and CCCs are the most valuable in supporting college success. Clarity on available CCAP offerings and coordination between institutions can bolster the pathway—improving access and success.

Sources

Authors

Olga Rodriguez is director of the PPIC Higher Education Center and a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, where she holds the Thomas and Marilyn Sutton Chair in Higher Education Policy. As center director, she works with a team of researchers to identify programs and policies to help make the state’s higher education system more successful, equitable, and sustainable. Her own research focuses on college access and success among underserved students. Her recent work has examined statewide reforms to developmental education, English as a second language, dual enrollment, and assessment and placement systems in California’s community colleges. Before joining PPIC, she was a postdoctoral research associate at the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University. She holds a BA in economics/mathematics and Spanish from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and an MA and PhD in economics and education from Columbia University.

Daniel Payares-Montoya is a research associate at the PPIC Higher Education Center. His research focuses on the impact of COVID-19 on California’s community colleges, English as a second language, and the relation between labor markets and higher education in California. Before joining PPIC, he worked as a consultant for the World Bank, concentrating on green growth and green finance in developing countries, and as a researcher at the Center for Latin American Studies, University of California Berkeley, focusing on the socio-economic and political impact of globalization and industrialization in the Americas. He has also conducted research on productivity, education, and labor markets for the Private Council on Competitiveness and Proantioquia Foundation in Colombia. He holds a master’s degree in public policy from Universidad de Chile and a master’s degree in development practice from the University of California, Berkeley.

Iwunze Ugo is a research fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, where he focuses on education, from PK–12 to two- and four-year colleges and universities. His research interests include public school finances and governance; student outcomes, with a focus on demographic disparities; and transitions to higher education. He is a former PPIC research associate and currently a PhD candidate in economics at the University of California, Davis, where he has worked as graduate student researcher at the California Education Lab.

Niu Gao is a senior fellow at the Public Policy Institute of California, specializing in K–12 education. Her areas of interest include math and science education, digital learning in K–12 schools, and student transition from high school to college. Prior to joining PPIC, she worked as a quantitative policy analyst at Stanford. She holds a PhD in educational policy and an MS in economics from Florida State University.

Stephanie Barton is a senior editor at the Public Policy Institute of California. She edits research reports, blog posts, and other publications, working with staff to communicate complex messages to a wide readership. Before joining PPIC, she was a developmental editor for Sage Publications and for Wiley Publishing, and a technical writer for the Department of Energy. Early in her career, she worked as a book designer for Doubleday Books. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts and a BA in studio art from Pomona College.