Commonwealth Dual Enrollment Partnership

Students must meet the following eligibility criteria:

• Be enrolled in a Massachusetts public secondary school or nonpublic school, including home school;
• Meet all course prerequisites per the policies of the participating campus;
• Be a Massachusetts resident;
• May not have earned a GED or high school diploma

Students who meet eligibility guidelines are not guaranteed participation. Participation is at the discretion of the participating institution of higher education, subject to capacity constraints and state appropriation.

CDEP courses are limited to those that would qualify under the MassTransfer Block . These are generally first- and second-year college courses that institutions regard as highly transferable. These courses are not guaranteed to transfer, however. Students should contact the college or university in which they plan to enroll after high school to inquire about their transfer policy.

Eligible Courses: An eligible course must be a credit-bearing college-level course that meets the following criteria:

• listed in the participating institution’s course catalog;
• counts for no less than three credit hours;
• qualifies under the MassTransfer Block*, or is within the disciplines of computer science, technology or engineering; and
• listed in the participating institution’s course catalog;
• counts for no less than three credit hours;
• qualifies under the MassTransfer Block*, or is within the disciplines of computer science, technology or engineering; and
taught by college faculty or high school faculty that have been vetted by the college.

*Note: three credit courses that include tutorials and co-requisite support are eligible for CDEP.

The disciplines represented in the MassTransfer block are behavioral and social sciences, humanities and fine arts, natural or physical science, English composition/writing, and mathematic/quantitative reasoning.
More information about MassTransfer can be found here.

Ineligible Courses: The following courses are ineligible:

• remedial/developmental courses (including ESL courses);
• non-credit courses;
• physical education/fitness/recreation courses;
• courses less than three credit hours; and
• first-year orientation or similar courses.

The Commonwealth Dual Enrollment Partnership (CDEP) is offered within the public higher education system in Massachusetts. To be eligible for CDEP funding, a community college, state university, or University of Massachusetts campus must plan and develop dual enrollment opportunities with the following guidelines:

• Offer a variety of college-level courses in multiple disciplines.
• Focus efforts to enroll qualified students with particular emphasis on potential first-generation college students, low-income students, and students who are interested in high demand career areas.
• Expand the CDEP student experience so that opportunities for college preparation, access and success are connected with academic components. Information on college admissions, application of dual enrollment credit, accessing student support services and financial aid awareness should be particular areas of focus.
• Expand dual enrollment opportunities by including as many qualified students as possible based upon available state funding and in-kind contributions

Please note that students who are not first-generation college students, low-income students, or interested in STEM fields are also eligible to participate.

Course are offered by the majority of Massachusetts community colleges, state universities and undergraduate University of Massachusetts campuses. Courses may be taught on the campuses of those institutions, on a high school campus, or online. Courses that are offered at the high school are called "contract courses" and are arranged through an agreement between the high school and the institution of higher education.

Students may enroll in one or more courses per the discretion of the participating institution of higher education. Because college and universities are required to expand dual enrollment opportunities to as many students as possible, you may be limited to the number of courses you may take.

Students must receive college and high school credit, documented on their college and high school transcripts, for the courses that they successfully complete. Students may be asked to collect signatures of college and high school administrators for this purpose.

The high school may count the CDEP course either as an elective or a required course. Participating higher education institutions and high schools are responsible for establishing written agreements that ensure that high school students receive credit from both the college and high school for courses completed as part of CDEP. Although not a requirement, the Department of Higher Education suggests grades earned from CDEP courses are configured into the high school GPA and weighted the same as Advanced Placement (AP) courses.

Students do not pay tuition or fees for courses taken through CDEP. However, some institutions may charge a nominal admission fee (for example, $25), which may be waived. Student who demonstrate financial need may also receive additional assistance for books, supplies, and transportation. For more information, contact the CDEP coordinator at the participating institution of higher education.

Check with your high school guidance counselor to find out if a contract course is offered at your high school and/or how you can enroll in a course offered on a higher education campus or online.

Interested students and families are also encouraged to coordinate with the CDEP coordinator at their public higher education institution of interest (PDF map) to arrange for student enrollment in courses offered on the college campus or online. Arrangements must be made prior to the start of a new term, and interested parties are encouraged to start the process as early as possible.

CDEP is just one of many different dual enrollment and early college programs and initiatives offered at Massachusetts' public colleges and universities. To avoid confusion when contacting a higher education institution about it, please refer to the program by its specific name: "Commonwealth Dual Enrollment Partnership" or "CDEP."

High schools must establish agreements with the participating public institution of higher education to ensure that participating students receive credit from both the college and the high school, documented on both transcripts, for the courses taken through CDEP. Students may be asked to collect signatures of high school and college administrators for this purpose.

As an additional incentive to students to take more challenging coursework, grades received in CDEP courses will receive additional weight in the calculation of applicants' weighted GPA for admission into Massachusetts public higher education institutions. The additional weight will be the same as that given for grades earned in Advanced Placement courses for the purpose of calculating the high school GPA. See the Department of Higher Education's Admissions Standards Reference Guide for more information on calculating the high school GPA.

Interested high school administrators and staff are encouraged to coordinate with the CDEP coordinator at their local public higher education institution to arrange for a "contract course" to be offered on a high school campus or for student enrollment in courses offered on the college campus or online. Arrangements must be made prior to the start of a new term, and interested parties are encouraged to start the process as early as possible.

Students must receive college and high school credit, documented on their college and high school transcripts, for the courses that they successfully complete. Institutions of higher education and high schools are responsible for establishing agreements that ensure that high school students receive credit from both the college and the high school for courses taken as part of CDEP. Students may be asked to collect signatures of college and high school administrators for this purpose.

The high school may count the CDEP course either as an elective or a required course. Participating IHEs and high schools are responsible for establishing written agreements that ensure that high school students receive credit from both the college and high school for courses completed as part of CDEP. Although not a requirement, the Department of Higher Education and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education suggest grades earned from CDEP courses are configured into the high school GPA and weighted the same as Advanced Placement (AP) courses.