The Dual Credit Learning Accelerator, jointly hosted by the Office of Online Learning and Undergraduate Admissions, is an initiative that aims to provide high-quality academic opportunities for prospective Illinois public high school students interested in pursuing four-year degrees.
The Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education at the University of Illinois, together with the Office of Online Learning, the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, and the Office of the Registrar, are initiating a campuswide Dual Credit initiative as a college pathway to 4-year Universities in Illinois. The pilot for the Dual Credit Learning Accelerator (DCLA) will redesign 3 unique Illinois general education courses as Dual Credit offerings for 11th and 12th graders. The pilot is funded by the American Talent Initiative, and each course will be offered to partner districts and students at no cost for qualifying schools. The DCLA will prioritize the same standards of excellence as our on-campus programs and will engage students where they are – in the high school classroom – with course content provided by Illinois faculty, taught by certified high school teachers, for free. Each course is fully articulated, satisfies an Illinois General Education requirement, and connects students to the types of courses and resources that will be available to them at a 4-year University. Students will have access to an online Canvas course infrastructure, a dedicated Illinois faculty member who will support the High School instructor, and our extensive digital library holdings. We will not charge students to transfer their credit out of the Illinois system should they choose to go elsewhere for college: students will only owe a small fee of $8 for an official transcript if required.
The DCLA pilot will launch with up to 10 schools per course in the 2026-2027 school year, and continue into 2027-2028, offering the following 4 popular general education courses:
If you are interested in bringing Illinois Dual Credit to your school, reach out to your administrators and tell them you want to take our courses! We are always happy to explore new potential partnerships, and our High School Interest Form is a good place for them to start.