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Dual Credit Authorization and Compliance

Dual Credit Endorsements for High School Teachers

Dual Credit Endorsement (PDF)   Academic Credentialing Chart (PDF)

ISBE Dual Credit Endorsements Website

Dual Credit Authorization and Compliance

4-Year Public, Independent, and Out-of-State Institutions

What is the (110 ILCS 27) Dual Credit Quality Act?

The Dual Credit Quality Act was enacted to accomplish the following:

  1. Reduce college costs.
  2. Speed time to degree completion.
  3. Improve the curriculum for high school students and the alignment of the curriculum with college and workplace expectations.
  4. Facilitate the transition between high school and college.
  5. Enhance communication between high school and colleges.
  6. Offer opportunities for improving degree attainment for underserved student populations.
    (Source: P.A. 96-194, eff. 1-1-10. Section 10)

Community Colleges

Illinois community colleges have a separate process for dual credit authorization administered by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB). ICCB Administrative Rules can be found here.

Contact ICCB for further information:

Main Office
401 East Capitol Avenue
Springfield, Illinois 62701-1711
(217) 785-0123

4-Year Institutions

What are the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) Administrative Rules for Dual Credit?

IBHE Dual Credit Administrative Rules (23 Illinois Administrative Code 1009) can be found here.

Map of IBHE Approved Institutions for Dual Credit (PDF)

Professional Development Plan Reporting (PDF)

IBHE Dual Credit Authorization Process

Step 1:

Determine if your institution has operating authority in the proposed region for dual credit activity (e.g., high school location).
Enter the high school address in the search box on the IBHE Region Finder Map to verify the region.

  • Proceed to Step 2 if your institution has operating authority in the higher education region for planned dual credit activity.
  • If the institution DOES NOT have operating authority in the higher education region for planned dual credit activity, the institution must apply for operating authority. Note: Operating authority must be approved by the Board. The first step is to register for orientation here.

Step 2:

Complete and Submit Dual Credit Application Forms with Supporting Documentation
Submit the following forms to IBHE via email dualcredit@ibhe.org to verify the region.

Step 3:

Application Review
IBHE staff will review all dual credit application materials submitted. Once operating authority and dual credit compliance are confirmed, a letter of approval will be issued to the institution. Maintenance of approval will be determined by the submission of annual dual credit course assignment data.

Step 4:

Annual Reporting Requirement
By the last Friday in October, institutions must report all dual credit activity in Illinois for the academic year, including:

  • Number and description of dual credit courses
  • Faculty teaching dual credit courses and their academic credentials
  • Student enrollment in dual credit courses
  • Sites/locations of dual credit offerings
  • Progress reporting of faculty professional development plans (if applicable)

Maintenance of approval is dependent upon submission of annual dual credit course assignment data.

Step 5:

Desk Audit
A desk audit may be conducted upon receipt of the annual dual credit course assignment data to verify compliance.

For questions about dual credit, contact us at: dualcredit@ibhe.org.