Earn College Credits During High School

Dual credit courses

A dual credit course is a college course you take during high school to earn both high school and college credits. The classes are often taught at the high school during school hours. You may also be able to take classes at a college during the evening or on a weekend. Check with your school to see what dual credit course options are available.

By taking advantage of dual credit courses, you start earning college credits while still living at home. This gives you a head start on your college education, which for most people means taking less money out in student loans. The state of North Dakota offers an additional incentive as well. College students who completed dual credit coursework in high school may be eligible for the Dual-Credit Tuition Scholarship and awarded up to $750.

If you can’t afford to pay for dual credit courses, you can take out a student loan to cover the cost or apply for dual credit assistance offered by Bank of North Dakota (BND). You must meet these requirements to be eligible for dual credit assistance from BND:

• Be a North Dakota resident and current sophomore, junior or senior in high school.
• The school district superintendent or designee must approve of you taking the course. In most cases, you’ll visit with a guidance counselor or principal first.
• You need to qualify for the federal free or reduced-price lunch program.
• Complete a dual credit assistance application on PowerSchool under the ND Education Portal.
  • The 2025-26 application will be available on PowerSchool beginning July 1, 2025.

PDF applications will be available upon request for home-educated students and students at schools that don’t have PowerSchool access. Please contact us to request the form.

Advanced Placement courses

AP courses offer North Dakota high school students the opportunity to take rigorous, college-level courses and earn college credit while in high school. Students engage in intense discussions, solve problems collaboratively, and learn to write clearly and persuasively. North Dakota AP courses are reviewed and approved by the College Board.

Choose from a variety of AP courses. Some North Dakota school districts offer AP courses in person. AP courses are also offered online through the North Dakota Center for Distance Education.

The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction (NDDPI) provides support through an initiative which waives some or all of students’ AP testing fees for AP English, AP mathematics, AP science, and AP computer science exams. Additional information can be found on the NDDPI website.

CLEP and DSST EXAMS

What if you could skip college classes because you already learned the material in high school? You may be able to do just that after your senior year of high school by taking CLEP or DSST exams. These are standardized tests that allow you to ‘test out’ of lower-level college courses in certain subjects. For example, let’s say you’re a bit of a biology whiz. You’ve always done well in the subject and are a member of the science club. If you score high enough on the biology CLEP test you may not need to take the class in college to fulfill the school’s requirements. Always check with the college to make sure it offers the option to test out of classes. Some base the number of credits you earn on how well you do on the test.

Both exams are offered in a wide variety of subjects, from math to business to humanities. There is a fee to take the exam, but the cost is usually less than the cost of a college class. Both tests are free to U.S. military personnel.