Concurrent enrollment: Utah high schoolers earning college credit in record numbers

SALT LAKE CITY — Concurrent enrollment offers Utah high school students a long list of benefits:

Saving cash and time while earning college credit. Getting an early jump on the higher education experience. Honing key college skills such as time management.

Meanwhile, concurrent enrollment is allowing many Utah teens to finish secondary school with a high school diploma in one hand and an associate degree in the other.

And at a time when the value of higher education is being questioned by many Americans, a record number of Utah high school students are signaling intent to attend college by enrolling in concurrent enrollment.

More than 61,000 Utahns earned college credit while still in high school during the 2024-2025 academic year, according to the Utah System of Higher Education and the Utah State Board of Education.

Utah high school students were reportedly awarded 495,117 college credit hours through concurrent enrollment — saving them $125.2 million in tuition costs.

"Concurrent enrollment plays an important role in helping students begin college with confidence and direction," said Geoffrey Landward, the state's higher education commissioner, in a USHE release.

"Strong alignment between high school and college coursework supports student readiness, persistence and long-term success."

During the 2024-2025 academic year, 218 public, charter and alternative high schools participated in concurrent enrollment — and high school students from 41 school districts and 41 charter schools earned college credit.

In 2024-2025, Utah's concurrent enrollment jumped 8.3% from the prior academic year. And the number of credit hours earned during that same period increased by almost 12%.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of concurrent enrollment credit hours were earned through face-to-face instruction rather than technology.

More than 53% of Utah high schoolers enrolled in concurrent enrollment classes were female — and most of the credit hours earned were in general education courses.

Tracking Utah's Math Competency Initiative

In conjunction with the concurrent enrollment data, Utah System of Higher Education released its annual report outlining the state's progress under Utah's Math Competency Initiative.

Established by the Utah Legislature in 2015, the Math Competency Initiative requires college-bound high schoolers to demonstrate college entry-level math proficiency before graduation.

The legislation also provides ongoing funding to support USHE's efforts to boost the number of students earning college qualitative literacy, or QL, general education credits while in high school.

"Utah does not have a specific high school math requirement for the senior year, presenting an opportunity for college-inclined students to complete their QL requirement through concurrent enrollment," according to the USHE report.

"The appropriated funds from this initiative bolster access for (concurrent enrollment) across Utah, and especially rural portions of the state, which present additional logistical challenges," the report states.

Efforts under the Math Competency Initiative also include expanding the number of qualified high school instructors, strengthening advising and math pathway guidance, increasing access to courses such as quantitative reasoning and introductory statistics, and supporting student success through tutoring and instructional resources, according to USHE.

"By expanding access to aligned math options earlier in a student's academic journey, Utah's concurrent enrollment and Math Competency Initiative help remove barriers that can slow progress after high school," the report said.

"Together, the programs reflect a coordinated statewide effort to strengthen alignment between high school and college coursework and support student preparation for college, career and lifelong learning," it adds.

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