FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT 

Kimberly Osborne 

University Communications 

k_osborn@uncg.edu 

Do College Credits Earned in High School Help Students Earn a Degree? 

$1.7 million grant awarded to study the transfer of college credits from high school 

GREENSBORO, N.C. (Nov. 14, 2023)-- How well do college credits earned in high school transfer to a postsecondary institution and apply to a student’s degree? The Early College Research Center at SERVE, which is part of UNC Greensboro, received a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education/Institute of Education Sciences to find out.  

"More and more students are given the opportunity to earn college credits in high school,” said Dr. Julie Edmunds, Director of the Early College Research Center and Principal Investigator for the project. “However, the advantages of these courses depend on the extent to which the credits successfully transfer and can be applied to students' postsecondary degree plans. Our study hopes to describe how well the credit transfer process is working and identify areas for improvement, thereby maximizing the benefits for students."   

The project examines college-level credits earned in North Carolina high schools through both dual enrollment (NC’s Career and College Promise program) and through Advanced Placement exams. The statewide study will also look at the extent to which these credits successfully transferred to a postsecondary institution and were applied to students’ majors or programs of study. The study will look at the association between successful credit transfer and the following education outcomes: enrolling in upper-level courses, enrolling in multiple majors/minors, attaining a postsecondary degree, time to degree, and amount of student loan debt. The study team will also collect data about students’ experiences in transfer with the goal of creating a college credit transfer toolkit that can be used by high school counselors and college advisors.  



Dr. Edmunds is leading a team that includes partners at the RAND Corporation and at the N.C. State University’s Belk Center for Community College Leadership. The study, which is fully funded by the U.S. Department of Education, is anticipated to conclude in 2027. 

UNC Greensboro

Located in North Carolina’s third largest city, UNC Greensboro is among the most diverse, learner-centered public research universities in the state, with nearly 18,000 students in eight colleges and schools pursuing 175 areas of undergraduate and 250 areas of graduate study. UNCG continues to be recognized nationally for academic excellence, access, and affordability. UNCG is ranked No. 1 most affordable institution in North Carolina for net cost by the N.Y. Times and No. 1 in North Carolina for social mobility by The Wall Street Journal — helping first-generation and lower-income students find paths to prosperity. With a portfolio of more than $67M in research and creative activity, UNCG’s 1,100 faculty and 1,700 staff help create an annual economic impact for the Piedmont Triad region in excess of $1B.