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AP vs. Dual Credit: What's the Difference?
Learn about the main differences between Dual Credit and Advanced Placement classes.
| Factors | Advanced Placement | Dual Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Description | Allows high school students to take college-level courses and exams to potentially earn college credit. | Allows high school students to earn both high school and college credit simultaneously. |
| Credit | Individual colleges or universities may award credit based on performance on AP exams. Credit is applied to the college transcript by students submitting qualifying scores to the college or university. The College Board/AP Program cannot award college credit. Students control when qualifying AP scores are submitted to colleges/universities. An example of when this control is helpful: A student is awarded a scholarship that requires a minimum number of credit hours each semester to maintain scholarship eligibility. AP scores can be submitted to the college/university strategically to balance the course load by semester. | Upon passing the course, college credit is awarded by Dallas College and the grade earned is transcribed on the GISD transcript when the grade is received from Dallas College. |
| Instructors | Taught by high school teachers that have completed College Board AP training. | Taught by college instructors and/or high school teachers that have been credentialed by Dallas College to teach dual credit courses. |
| Acceptance | AP exam scores of 3-5 are widely accepted by colleges and universities for college credit. Students should check with their chosen college or university to determine if college credit will be awarded. | Transfers to all Texas public colleges or universities. Transfers to most colleges and universities that are not Texas public institutions. Requires a "C" or better for transferability. Students should check with their chosen college or university to determine if college credit will transfer. |
| Location | AP courses are taught on the high school campus. | Dual Credit courses can be taught at the high school, on a college campus, or online. |
| Eligibility | Open to any student who meets the AP course prerequisite(s) outlined in the GISD Course Guide. | Must be a high school student. Must meet Dallas College TSI requirements and any course prerequisite(s) outlined in the GISD Course Guide and Dallas College Catalog. |
| Cost | Textbooks are provided by GISD. AP exams are initially paid for by GISD. Students that did not complete AP exam study session requirements are billed for AP exam costs by their high school campus. | Textbooks are provided by GISD. Dallas College provides a tuition scholarship for all first-time taken dual credit courses. |
Need a printable copy? See the AP vs. Dual Credit flyer.