In October, Wisconsin lawmakers introduced legislation that would bring reform to the complicated Dual Enrollment Program. The bill seeks to simplify, expand and better coordinate dual-enrollment opportunities for high school students across the state.
The state’s dual-enrollment system allows high school students to earn college credit while still in school. Assembly Bill 582 and its counterpart Senate Bill 591, are authored by Republicans including Representatives David Murphy (R-Greenville) and Joel Kitchens (R-Sturgeon Bay) as well as Senators Rachael Cabral‑Guevara (R-Appleton) and André Jacque (R-New Franklin).
The bill looks to establish a general oversight committee called the “Council on Dual Enrollment.” It also looks to establish an accessible online portal for students and parents to access, and guarantee a smoother transfer of credits to colleges and universities. (RELATED: Anti-Free Speech Cases Earn Big Win in SLAPP Lawsuits Thanks To GOP Legislators)
The council would be housed in the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development and includes representation from K-12 schools, the University of Wisconsin System, the Wisconsin Technical College System and other stakeholders.
Dual-enrollment participation has doubled in the last decade—from roughly 38,435 students in 2015 to 78,703 in 2024—but that access remains uneven, particularly for students in rural and high-poverty districts.
“While dual enrollment participation has more than doubled in the last decade, it’s not evenly distributed,” according to the bill being circulated for legislative support. “This creates an unfair advantage for students in certain areas, particularly those in more affluent or larger school districts,” say the Republican authors. (RELATED: Democrats Split as Baldwin Rejects Deal to End Record Shutdown)
Supporters say this will help students graduate sooner, save tuition costs, and better prepare students for workforce entry. In the UW systems note to the Assembly Committee on education, they noted that nearly 16,000 high-school students participated in UW dual-enrollment in 2023-24 and that the system had requested $14.5 million to expand capacity.
If passed, these reforms would mark a significant shift in Wisconsin’s dual-enrollment landscape by making it more accessible and navigable for students statewide.
