Information for Parents
Professors at Eastern Illinois University are excited to partner with teachers at your high school to offer dual credit courses, providing both high school and college credit. Downstate, these classes are taught by EIU instructors through D2L, with high school instructors serving as facilitators. Upstate, dual credit classes are taught by high school instructors without D2L, and an EIU coordinator is available for support. Regardless of location, your student will complete the same assignments and exams as students on EIU’s campus, and they'll earn college credit at half the tuition cost through this special program.
Benefits to Your Student
- Dual credit can help prepare your student for the rigors of college while still in the high school environment.
- Working with EIU can provide students with information about the expectations professors have for college-level work.
- Taking dual credit in high school can accelerate the time to a college degree.
- A recent study (2016) from the American Associate of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) shows that high school dual credit increases the likelihood of students graduating from high school and enrolling in college and indicates that these students accumulate more credits in college in their first two years than students who did not participate in dual credit.
Costs & Payment
- Cost varies based on the partnership agreement with each school. Contact your student's school counselor for additional information.
Enrollment, Grades and Transferring Credit
- Students will be enrolled by the University as guest students for the purpose of high school dual credit. Course credit and grades will be posted to an EIU transcript.
- Grades will be A, B, C, D, or F. Speech and English Composition are graded A, B, C, NC (no credit). NC replaces a D or F for this course.
- A student may withdraw from a course on or before the 10th class day (first 2 weeks of EIU semester) and not receive a grade. From the 11th day until the Friday of the 11th class week, a student may withdraw with a grade of “W” but will still be obliged to complete paying for the course.
- If the high school student decides to pursue a degree at Eastern, they will need to apply as an undergraduate student. The application fee will be waived and we will be excited to have them continue their education with us.
- Students wishing to pursue a college degree at another college or university must have their EIU transcript sent to that institution. You may order the EIU transcript via PAWS while you have access to your EIU PAWS or by using Parchment. (You will need your E# to order a transcript.)
- All courses offered through Eastern Illinois University at your high school are part of the Illinois Articulation Initiative are accepted for credit by all IAI participating schools, which includes ALL Illinois public universities and 94 other Illinois colleges and universities. An estimated 86% of colleges and universities nation-wide accept dual enrollment credit to be applied toward degree requirements or elective credit, according to an AACRAO study; the 14% that do not accept dual credit tend to be elite, private schools. While EIU cannot guarantee course recognition on behalf of another institution, we strive to make the transfer of courses as simple as possible. Acceptance of dual enrollment credit is up to each college or university. It is the student’s responsibility to find out how the college or university accepts the dual enrollment credit. Many institutions have a general statement on their website that explains their transfer credit policy. Another resource for transfer knowledge is www.transferology.com.
