Dual Enrollment Background Image

Dual Enrollment

Dual enrollment is an arrangement that allows high school students to take college classes at their high schools before, during, or after the school day. Students get credit for both a high school course and the college course - that’s why it’s called dual enrollment.

Learn More about Dual Enrollment

Dual Enrollment is a unique partnership between MiraCosta College and local K-12 districts that gives high school students a head start on college! Earn credit for both high school and college courses, take classes on your high school campus or online, and explore new subjects alongside your peers. Start building your college transcript, all while saving money and preparing for your future!

  • Free Tuition – No cost for tuition, and your high school covers books and materials!
  • Take Classes with Your Peers – Join classmates in college-level courses.
  • Class Schedule – You can take up to 11 units per fall and spring term, and 8 units per summer session.
    • OUSD students: Can take up to 15 units in the fall or spring, and up to 9 units in the summer. For more details, check MiraCosta College AP 5011.
  • Earn High School Credits – You can request 10 high school credits for a 3-unit class.
  • Weighted Grades – You may get a weighted letter grade if the course is added to your high school transcript—check with your counselor!
  • Meet Honors Requirements – Some courses may count towards honors graduation requirements—talk to your counselor for details.
  • Boost Your College Applications – Show colleges you can handle college-level coursework.
  • No AP Exam Required – Unlike AP, there’s no test to pass for college credit!
  • High school students who have finished 8th grade (or are 15 years old) can take classes with permission from their high school and a parent/guardian.
  • If you are 18 years or older, permission from a parent/guardian is not required.
  • Attending a high school with a Dual Enrollment partnership. See step 1 in How to Apply & Enroll for more details.

MiraCosta offers dual enrollment at the following districts

Oceanside Unified School District
Carlsbad Unified School District
San Dieguito Union School District

How to Apply & Enroll

Step 1
Submit an Interest Form for Your High School

 

Connect with your high school counselor and select your high school district below to complete a Google Form for the upcoming term.

Use the online Dual Enrollment Class Schedule to find available courses at your high school for the current term.

Step 2
Apply for Admissions

Tutorials
Application Video Tutorial
Step-by-Step Application Tutorial

The application is a 2-step process: 

  1. Create a CCCApply Account
  2. Submit a MiraCosta College Application 

Important Tip: Use your personal email to apply, not your high school email.

It takes 2-3 business days for your application to be processed. You’ll then get a welcome email with your SURF ID and a link to activate your SURF account.

If you don’t get a welcome email after 3 business days, email dualenroll@miracosta.edu for help.

Returning Students: If you haven’t taken classes for 2 or more semesters in a row (not counting summer), you need to apply again.

Step 3
Activate Your SURF Account

Tutorials
Account Set-Up for New Students
Set Up Your Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

  • Use your welcome email to access your SURF ID, the link to create your password, and set-up your multi-factor authentication (MFA) method.
  • If your link to activate your SURF account has expired, contact dualenroll@miracosta.edu for a new link.

Step 4
Submit Your Early College Credit Form

 

You only need to submit the form once and it will cover you for the entire time you're considered a high school student. It requires 3 signatures: student, parent/guardian, and high school principal or a counselor. If the student is 18 years or older, a parent/guardian signature is not required. To complete the form:

Request Adobe e-Sign Form

  • The form will be emailed to students first in 1-2 business days.
  • Admissions & Records will receive the form once all parties have signed.
  • Once the form is processed (usually in 1-3 business days), Adobe e-Sign will send an automated confirmation email to all signees.

or

Print and Sign (PDF)

Step 5
Register

Tutorials
How to View My Class Schedule

  • You have completed the registration steps, MiraCosta College will register you in the requested courses!
  • Tuition, books, and materials are FREE for Dual Enrollment students.

Important Deadlines: Talk to your high school counselor or instructor for the add/drop deadline details relevant to your course(s), or email dualenroll@miracosta.edu for help.

Dual Enrollment Resources

Need assistance creating an Education Plan?
Schedule an appointment with an Academic Counselor! They can help you pick the right classes, make an Education Plan, choose a career or major, apply to transfer to a 4-year university, and connect you with support services like tutoring and personal counseling.

OUSD Dual Enrollment Students
Meet with Miss Liz to set up your particular academic pathway. Visit Miss Liz during school hours or schedule an appointment. Make the most of college planning and visit with her today!

Miss Liz
MCC Academic/Career Counselor
eleguizamo@miracosta.edu
At Oceanside HS, El Camino HS, and Surfside Educational Academy every week for academic/ career counseling and support or by appointment! (Zoom meeting options available)

IGETC/Plan C Advisement Sheet
Check out the Plan C Advisement Sheet to see a list of courses you can take at MiraCosta College to meet general education requirements for applying to a University of California (UC) or California State University (CSU).

  • Official transcript requests are made online at miracosta.edu/transcripts. The first two official transcripts ever requested are free; thereafter, it is $7 per request.
  • Students can access their unofficial transcript in SURF.

Tutorials: How to View My Unofficial Transcript

Important Notice for OUSD CCAP Dual Enrollment Students:
As part of the OUSD CCAP agreement, Admissions & Records will send your final grades to the OUSD registrars at the end of each semester. You may receive a weighted letter grade if the course is added to your high school transcript. Please contact your high school counselor for more information.

High School Contacts

If you have questions regarding dual enrollment, you can talk to your counselor or the lead contact at your high school.

Carlsbad Unified School District Contacts

Carlsbad High School
Kate Dendy, Counselor
kdendy@carlsbadusd.net
760.331.5165

Sage Creek High School
Freddy Delgado, Counselor
freddy.delgado@carlsbadusd.net
760.331.6654

Oceanside Unified School District

El Camino High School
Sada Felix, Counselor
sada.felix@oside.us
760.901.8042

Oceanside High School
Juan Simental, Counselor
juan.simental@oside.us
760.901.8235

Surfside Academy
Ashley Sczupak, College and Career Guidance Technician
ashley.sczupak@oside.us
760.901.8629

San Dieguito Union High School District

Canyon Crest Academy, La Costa Canyon, San Dieguito Academy, & Torrey Pines
Jayme Cambra, Counselor on Special Assignment
jayme.cambra@sduhsd.net
760.753.6491 x5536

Initiating Dual Enrollment

Submit a Dual Enrollment Interest Form for each course you are interested in offering at your high school. Make sure to get the consent from your Principal before filling out the form.

You can start by exploring our various Academic and Career Pathways (ACP’s), and their related course, certificate, and degree programs. Course details can be found in our course catalog.

MiraCosta works with each district and school to ensure there is a balanced offering of courses within a pathway that allows students to complete their general education requirements and/or college certificate. Once courses are confirmed, we will schedule them and provide the school lead contacts with the course numbers, so students can complete their required steps.

Classes may be cancelled due to low enrollment. If this occurs, high school counselors are responsible for informing students and helping them find an alternative dual or concurrent enrollment class.

Student Registration and Enrollment

  • The school district collects information about students interested in dual enrollment.
    • Some districts ask students/parents to submit Intent to Enroll form, while others just ask students to notify their counselor.
  • Counselors provide a list of interested students to MiraCosta College (using a shared spreadsheet - for link, contact zlindstrom@miracosta.edu).
  • Counselors ensure students complete all steps of the Dual Enrollment registration process.
  • MCC Application Walk-through
  • MCC Admissions & Records enrolls students into courses.

Please visit the following resources for introductory material on the program and details about the enrollment process:

Resources for Your Students

Your students can take advantage of the student services offered to MiraCosta students, including tutoring, counseling, library services, and much more. Refer to our Student Service Guide for more information.

If this is your first semester teaching dual enrollment courses, please visit the following resources:  

Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of students should take dual enrollment courses?
You don’t have to be an AP track student to participate in dual enrollment courses. If you are interested in exploring careers and college majors with your high school peers, then dual enrollment is right for you.
What’s the difference between dual and concurrent enrollment?
Dual enrollment is a program that MCC has with certain high schools that allows their high school students to take college classes at their high school campuses during the day. Concurrent Enrollment allows any high school student to take college classes at the MCC campus or online after school or during the summer.
Do I have to pay for dual enrollment college courses?
No, college courses through the dual enrollment program are free to students. Books and materials should also be paid by your high school, saving you money on college.
Who teaches the dual enrollment courses?
Dual enrollment classes are taught by MiraCosta College faculty, who meet the qualifications to teach at a California Community College, which means they have a Master’s degree in the area of the subject matter being taught (or equivalent qualifications). In some cases, you might have high school teachers teaching your classes because they have met the qualifications to teach college courses.
How do I get started with dual enrollment?
Talk to your high school counselor about the steps you need to take, and you can find more information on our application process.
If I don’t attend MiraCosta after high school, will these credits be accepted at a university or another college?
Some dual enrollment classes are transferable to other community colleges, CSU’s, UC’s and private or out-of-state schools. If you want to know which class is transferable to a particular university, look at our MCC college catalog or meet with one of our counselors. Classes may also be part of a Career Pathway and fulfill a requirement for a certification in a career field.
How do I list dual enrollment courses on my college applications?
See the guidance listed for each application below. For colleges that don’t use these applications, contact their Admissions office for instructions. California State University Dual Enrollment Courses on Application,  University of California Dual Enrollment Courses on Application, Common Application Dual Enrollment Courses on Application
How do I request an official transcript?
Submit your transcript request online. The first two transcripts ever requested are free; thereafter, $5.00 per copy. A $2.00 handling fee will be added to the transcript requests submitted through our online method. You can also view your unofficial transcript at any time.
Can dual enrollment limit my access to Financial Aid?
Dual Enrollment courses count as college courses. They are included in your college GPA and factor into your total units attempted and completed. To be eligible for financial aid in college, you must maintain at least a 2.0 GPA and complete 66.7% of courses attempted with an “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, or “P.” Failing grades, drops, withdrawals, and incompletes will lower your completion percentage and may have future financial aid implications.
 
The important thing to keep in mind is that successful completion of college courses in high school can help you to graduate from college more quickly. If you have specific concerns about financial aid, please contact a MiraCosta counselor.
If I have an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) or 504 plan, can I take dual enrollment courses?
Yes, and we have support services available to you. Please review the Academic Accommodations Guide for Dual Enrollment for more information. To talk to a staff member in our Student Accessibility Services (SAS) , please submit a request form, and a staff member will contact you. 
As a parent/guardian of a dual enrolled student, can I have access to my student's enrollment information, grades and other student information?
MiraCosta College enrollment, grades and student information must be accessed by the student. FERPA does not allow us to release information to anyone but the student.
Will I have to pay for textbooks or other course materials?
No, all textbooks and course materials are provided by your high school.

Supported Districts / Schools