In Kentucky and around the nation, the cost of college attendance has risen steadily over the past two decades, while total undergraduate enrollment has leveled off or declined. Kentucky has taken aggressive measures to limit tuition increases and increase state and institutional aid; nevertheless, increasing college costs may be constricting our…

Dual credit programs are collaborations between secondary and postsecondary institutions that enable high school students to enroll in college courses and receive simultaneous academic or technical credit that counts toward high school and college completion. Nationally and in Kentucky, dual credit participation is on the rise. The total number of…

This research brief examines the impact of dual credit participation on second-year persistence and first-year GPA among low-income and underrepresented minority (URM) students. The brief also explores whether dual credit opportunities help close outcome gaps affecting these student groups. Low-income is defined by a student's federal Pell grant…

This research brief examines race-based disparities in the lifetime earnings of Kentuckians at the same educational attainment level. It relies on data from the 2016-18 American Community Survey to approximate lifetime earnings for full-time workers with at least a high school diploma. It is the third of three research briefs on lifetime earnings…

Dual credit programs are collaborations between secondary and postsecondary institutions that enable high school students to enroll in college courses and receive simultaneous academic or technical credit that counts toward high school and college completion. Dual credit is distinct from Advanced Placement (AP) courses, which require students to…

This research brief examines the effect of dual credit participation on second-year persistence and first-year GPA at Kentucky public four-year universities, broken down by income. It is the fifth of six research briefs exploring the effects of dual credit on postsecondary outcomes.

This brief examines the varied effects of dual credit on second-year persistence and first-year GPA for underrepresented minority undergraduate students (URM), compared to white or Asian, non-Hispanic undergraduate students. The first brief (ED611821) showed a substantial gap in dual credit between URM and non-URM students, and this brief provides…

This research brief examines the impact of dual credit participation on second-year persistence and first-year GPA, broken down by gender. It also explores whether dual credit courses can help narrow the gap in outcomes between female and male students. The first brief in this series (ED611821) already revealed a gap in dual credit participation…

In Kentucky, the number of high school students participating in dual credit programs is on the rise, increasing the need for research to explore the effects of dual credit on postsecondary academic outcomes. This research brief focuses on two areas: second-year persistence and first-year grade point average (GPA) in college. The study shows that…

Enrollment in high school dual credit has risen 75% in the last five years, but participation has not increased equally among all demographic categories. This brief examines the underrepresented minority, gender, and income status of dual credit participants who subsequently enrolled in a Kentucky public university between 2014-17. This is the…

Preparing students for transfer to a four-year college or university is a core function of community colleges. The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), which is comprised of 16 colleges with over 70 campuses, plays a major role in promoting student mobility between the two-year and four-year sectors of postsecondary education…

The Completion Report describes the state of postsecondary education degree and credential attainment in Kentucky between Academic Years (AY) 2004-05 and 2013-14. Part One details the number and types of degrees produced during this time and pays attention to trends among key demographics in the state. Part Two provides context for these trends by…

In 2001, Kentucky instituted a placement policy mandating that all students entering undergraduate programs at public institutions who received a score of 17 or below on ACT subject exams in math, English or reading be placed in developmental coursework or receive supplemental help in those subjects. This study examines the public postsecondary…

This update presents information on students entering Kentucky's public postsecondary institutions in 2004, with comparisons to the entering class of 2002. This information updates Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education's 2005 report entitled, "Underprepared Students in Kentucky: A First Look at the 2001 Mandatory Placement Policy."…

The enrollment of high school students in postsecondary courses, called "dual enrollment," has grown dramatically in Kentucky in recent years, focusing attention on dual enrollment and its potential benefits. This study presents an overview of dual enrollment in Kentucky from the postsecondary perspective, examining dual enrollment…