Emily Delano
Age: 17
Clayton State University

Why is completing your college degree important to you?
Completing my college degree is important to me because I want to be able to support myself in the future and have a secure job. 

Why did you choose to take online classes through eCore?
I chose online classes through eCore because I wanted to take multiple college classes in high school before I actually started college. I chose online because they are flexible classes that I can easily work in with my high school schedule. 

How would you describe the instructors you’ve had in your eCore classes?
The instructors are really great. They email you very often and clarify any problems a student may be having through emails or discussion posts. They are all very helpful, supportive, and always have open communication with students. 

Besides being a college student, what do you spend your time doing?
Besides being a high school and college student, I work at a local small business a couple days a week. I am also a speaker and leader at my church. I spend a lot of time with my family and friends. My favorite hobby is reading. 

How and when do you make time to spend on your school work?
I make time to spend on my school work (eCore work) at night after I have finished my high school homework and studying. Either that or I clear my schedule and work on my eCore lessons right when I get home from school. 

What has been the best thing about your eCore experience?
The best thing about my eCore experience has been the flexibility that the online classes offer. I can work on homework or take quizzes at any time during the day. I can finish an entire lesson at my own pace and start the next lesson right after. 

What would you say to someone who is considering taking their first online class through eCore?
Commit yourself to the process of online classes. Log in multiple times a week! Stay up to date [with] what is due, when tests are, and when quizzes are! That is the best way to be successful in online classes. 

dual enrollment Real Student Stories

7:13 AM

For parents of high school students, the thought of your child going to college can bring on a laundry list of questions – How do I know they’re ready for college-level work? When should we start applying to schools? How am I going to afford tuition?

If you’re feeling anxious about your child jumping head-first into college life, planning ahead with a dual enrollment program may be a good way to smooth the transition for everyone – plus there are some real benefits that you and your child can both enjoy!

What is Dual Enrollment?

Dual enrollment is a program in which a high school student enrolls in a college course and receives credit both at the collegiate level and at the high school level for successful completion. Courses are offered in a variety of formats - online, face to face on the college campus, and sometimes instruction is even given onsite at high schools.

Most public and private postsecondary institutions have special admission requirements and registration guidelines for dual enrollment, so be sure to check those out at the school in which you are considering enrollment.

So – now that you know WHAT dual enrollment is, you may be wondering WHY it’s such a good idea. Well, here are 5 reasons we think it’s such a smart move.

1.      A Smooth College Transition

For some students, the rigor of college-level course work can be a shock at first. By easing into college courses during high school, students are able to experience a real college class and develop the skills required to be successful before leaving the comforts of home and high school.

2.      Increased Access to Advanced Classes

Some high schools are not able to offer as many advanced placement (AP) courses as they would like. By dual enrolling in an online college course, your child can be challenged with advanced curriculum, which will reflect positively on transcripts when applying for full enrollment to colleges. Plus, with dual enrollment, you do not have to score highly on one test to receive college credit as is required in AP courses. If you pass the class, you get the credit.

3.      Graduate from College Faster

Many people start thinking about dual enrollment in their child’s senior year – but you can enroll as early as sophomore year. If a student begins a dual enrollment program early enough – he or she could graduate from high school with enough credits to be classified as a college sophomore! That can shorten the time to complete a bachelor’s degree by up to two years. Now THAT is what we call getting ahead!

4.      Encourage Collegiate Success

Statistics show that dual enrolled students’ GPAs after two years of college were significantly higher than those students who did not participate in dual enrollment classes.

5.      Save on College Tuition

With college tuition on the rise annually, this is one of the most common concerns of parents. Here in Georgia, high school students have access to the ACCEL Program, which is a non-need based grant for students that wish to take college level coursework for credit towards both high school and college graduation requirements. Students are eligible all four years of high school – not just junior and senior year. And the best part? ACCEL award amounts do NOT count toward the maximum number of hours eligible for Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship! For more information about Georgia’s Accel Program, visit www.GAcollege411.com.

Now that you know why dual enrollment programs are so great, it’s time to get started on the HOW. With busy high school schedules, online classes are a great option. Through the University System of Georgia’s eCore program the state’s college core curriculum is now offered completely online through 14 colleges and universities.

To learn more about online dual enrollment through eCore, visit ecore.usg.edu. We’d love to talk to you and answer any questions you have! Request information here, or call us anytime at 1.866.93ECORE.

dual enrollment

12:40 PM

One of the best kept secrets in much of Georgia is the dual enrollment program which allows high school students to take college courses and also receive high school credit simultaneously. eCore, the University System of Georgia's online core curriculum, offers several fully-online core courses through nine USG institutions.


High school students who take dual enrollment courses often start college with a year or more of college already completed, and save money because Georgia's ACCEL program covers most or all the tuition. Furthermore, the courses taken do not count towards the 129 hours covered by Georgia's HOPE program.


Last Friday, Governor Nathan Deal signed House Bill 131, which will provide even more incentives for high school students to participate. The legislation, which goes into affect July 1, will give bonus points to a student's GPA and count towards the "rigorous coursework" that the HOPE scholarship requires.

"These partnerships allow high school students to earn college credits before graduating from high school, making their transition to postsecondary education smoother and their likelihood of graduating from college greater," Deal said.

eCore courses, in particular, provide an exceptional avenue for dual enrollment because they are fully online. "Students can take these courses from home, and they will interfere less with sports or other extra-curricular activities. Alternatively, some schools provide in-school study halls where students can do their online work together," explained Dr. Melanie N. Clay, dean of USG ecore. 

"For highly motivated students, I advocate for students taking the courses online from home, as this helps to better prepare them for the responsibilities they will face as a full-time college students," she said. Either way,  she said, "there's really no better way for parents to save big money on their child's college tuition" than to take advantage of dual enrollment.

An advantage of eCore dual enrollment courses over AP (Accelerated Placement) courses is that eCore course credits are accepted at all University System of Georgia institutions (lab sciences are occasionally an exception depending on the institution and the student's major). Credit is not based on a testing score as it is in AP - if the students passes the class, he or she earns the credit. eCore courses are standard across all member institutions, and were developed by teams of faculty members representing a cross-section of University of System Georgia institutions. Students may also take online eCore courses for dual enrollment in the summer.

Because eCore courses are online, a high school student can dually enroll in any of the nine member USG institutions with no concern as to how far the institution is from the student's home.

To enroll for Summer or Fall 2013, view the handbook, or email Craig Brown, USG eCore Senior Enrollment Manager.

dual enrollment

3:33 PM