Detroit partnership allows students to earn college credit as early as freshman year

More high school students in Detroit's school district will graduate with college credit, thanks to an expansion of a program with the Wayne County Community College District. This partnership allows students to take college courses beginning their freshman year of high school, Chalkbeat reports.The expanded partnership would allow students to earn six to eight college credits per school year at no cost to them. The classes, taught by the community college, match the Detroit district's career pathway options, which include business and entrepreneurship, health care, technology and others, Chalkbeat notes.The dual-enrollment program could not only give students an early start on getting college credits — making the cost of a post-graduate degree less expensive — it also gives students the opportunity to earn industry licenses or certifications as high schoolers. The main benefit of dual-enrollment programs is that they greatly reduce the cost of obtaining a four-year degree, as some of a student's required college credits will have already been fulfilled in high school at little or no cost. Educators hoped that by reducing the price of a four-year degree, more minority and poor students would be encouraged to enroll.