North Carolina’s statewide Career and College Promise offers eligible students three tuition-free pathways to earn college credit while in high school. This brief reports on why students participated, or did not participate, in two of these dual enrollment pathways: Career and Technical Education (CTE) and College Transfer. The findings are based on site visits to four North Carolina high schools across four districts and on focus groups with community college staff who supported dual enrollment across 12 districts in North Carolina in 2020. Understanding what motivates or inhibits students’ participation in dual enrollment programs can inform practitioners, researchers, and policymakers in their efforts to increase the number of students benefitting from these opportunities.

See also the related Network evaluation of North Carolina's CTE dual enrollment pathway to learn more.