Latest report finds high interest in the program
The most recent K-12 Partnerships Annual Report 2023-2024 shows interest remains strong for dual credit classes offered by Fox Valley Technical College, giving high school students a unique head start on their academic journey.
A dual credit class is a technical college course taught by an FVTC Dual Credit high school teacher at the high school. Students who take these classes not only earn credit at both their high school and at the technical college, but they also do so at no cost to themselves or their school district.
In the past five years, the college has seen a steady increase in the number of students participating in a dual credit class, the number of credits earned and the dollar value of those credits. For example:
- 6,749 high school students participated in FVTC dual credit classes in the 2022-23 school year; that number jumped from 5,581 in the 2018-19 school year.
- 24,309 total credits were earned by students in 2022-23; in 2018-19, total credits were 20,469.
- In 2022-23, the dollar value based on tuition rates for that year was $3.9 million. That compares to $3.1 million in 2018-19. This is the total amount of tuition dollars saved by taking the course as a dual credit class in high school.
“Dual credit provides so many different opportunities for high school students,” says Jennifer Van Thiel, manager of K-12 Partnerships. “In addition to helping them explore careers, these classes also make students more employable when they graduate from high school and many businesses offer tuition reimbursement for those who want to continue their education while employed. And, the dual credit classes through FVTC are also transferrable to four-year colleges.”
Also gaining popularity are academies which allow students who are interested in a specific career to take a bundle of courses to prepare for that pathway. Many academies work closely with local businesses to expose students to various career opportunities in their community.
Interested in learning more? Check out this video explaining the FVTC Dual Credit program
