Accelerated programs, also referred to as dual enrollment and concurrent enrollment, provide an opportunity for high school students to earn both high school and college credit by enrolling in specified college courses. These programs provide high school students with the opportunity to experience the college atmosphere, get an early start on college classes, pay less towards their total college expenses, and supplement their high school coursework with more rigorous curriculum.

Far fewer students complete college than intended. Many plan to go, but do not have a realistic idea of what that means or where to begin. Since 1985, dual enrollment programs have been helping many students to realize this goal.

Accelerated enrollment programs challenge high school students while helping them to experience college success. When students experience success early at the college level, they are more likely to persist to graduation.

This study evaluated the likelihood of community college attendance and odds of graduation based on participation in a dual enrollment accelerated program, gender, financial need, number of first term credits, high school grade point average (GPA) and ACT composite score of students who were enrolled at North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC). Among the findings were participation in an accelerated program, gender, high school GPA, and the number of first term credits completed after articulating were determining factors in graduation from NIACC.

This study should be replicated statewide to determine the impact of accelerated program participation of college graduation. As this study revealed other predictors of significance associated with college graduation, it should be expanded to include additional predictor variables, specifically race, student motivation, and level of college engagement.