Across the country dual enrollment is on the rise, including at Santa Fe Community College.

The director of recruitment and dual credit at SFCC, Rebecca Estrada, estimated that in 2005 students were registered for dual credit in 200 classes; this semester it has risen to 489. "I think some people just want to find relevance in classes," she said.

One major advantage of taking dual-credit courses: They are cost-free for students. SFCC waives tuition, and the high schools pay for textbooks. "In most cases students are only paying course-specific fees," Estrada said.

As the classes provide both high school and college credits, students can take steps toward their degree while fulfilling their high school requirements.

"As we're finding out, the average bachelor's degree is running five years," Estrada explained. "That digs into your financial aid." She believes people are now trying to get a head start to avoid the added expense and time.

In August of this year a new public charter school, the Master's Program, opened. Students enrolled with the Master's Program have a schedule of all dual-credit courses at SFCC, working toward their degree while earning high school credits as well. High school students grades 10 and up can enroll in the school as long as they have a minimum of six high school credits. One of the students, Conor Cole, 16, said about the program, "It's nice to be in control of your time."

"Dual credit is really a state-administered program, so it's a uniformly run program, and the rules are, for the most part, handed down from the state Higher Education Department," Estrada said.

New Mexico has very few restrictions on dual credit compared to many other states. The state does impose a geographic area of responsibility. Each high school is the responsibility of a certain college, which has first right of refusal for high schools in its area. This means a college must write to the Higher Education Department declining the requested educational services before someone can enroll in an institution in a different area of responsibility.

"We are not per state rules allowed to do dual credit with private schools," Estrada said. At SFCC, a student can engage in dual credit if they are enrolled with a partner high school. There is no grade-point average requirement, and all high school students are eligible, however high schools can make rules of their own in this regard.

Cynthia Clarke, assistant principal at Santa Fe High School, estimated 10 percent of the senior class is taking dual credit at SFCC. "It's a win-win for everybody," Clarke said. "We see a true growth in going to a community college campus. It's an enriching experience."

To decide between a dual-credit and Advanced Placement class can be difficult for high school students. "They hold equal weight," Clarke said. Although this should be true, there is a catch in the SFCC dual-enrollment system.

"Dual credit is a college course so things like transferability do come into play," Estrada said. "We have a matrix of courses in this state that are guaranteed to transfer to a college or university in this state." SFCC can't guarantee a class will transfer to an out-of-state school, but the AP test is nationally recognized, so every school in the country will accept those scores.

However, the AP tests are on a limited amount of subjects, and even if someone passes the AP class, there is no way to ensure they will pass the test. SFCC offers a broader range of classes. "What we see most students do and what we try to do is have them take a mix," Estrada said.

There are other advantages to dual credit as well. "I think anybody knows now that not every student fits in every single environment," Estrada said. "You come over here and you take this class, and maybe it just changes the world for you. It makes things a little more relevant."

The difference in ages of SFCC students is viewed in a positive light. "The very cool thing about dual enrollment is that we have classrooms that have 16-year-olds and 77-year-olds," Estrada said. "It's a whole new experience."

There are no worries about the performance of dual-credit students as of yet. Their average grades are not lower than those of regular college students in the same courses. "The only thing I ever get a little nervous about is I'm never quite sure we're doing a good enough job in reminding students, particularly those who want to stay here for college, when you take a dual-credit class it's part of your cumulative GPA," Estrada said.

If a student doesn't do well and doesn't drop a class in time, their lottery scholarship, which pays for college tuition for eligible New Mexico students, is at stake. "I can't think of anyone who's lost the lottery scholarship because of dual-credit classes yet," Estrada said, "but the potential is there."

Although no one can foresee the role of dual credit in the future, the growth in popularity is not surprising, as it saves money and expands possibilities in obtaining a high school education. As Estrada puts it, "(Dual credit) is a good thing because it gives us flexibility to really allow students to see what their strengths really are."

Emma Hamming-Green is a senior at The Academy for Technology and the Classics. You can reach her at happycamper156@hotmail.com.