About dual credit programs

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Postsecondary refers to colleges, training delivery agents (TDA) and Indigenous Institutes only.

Dual credit programs allow eligible high school students to earn credits by taking:

  • college courses
  • courses at an Indigenous Institute
  • Level 1 apprenticeship training

These count towards both:

  • your Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD)
  • a postsecondary certificate, diploma, degree or Certificate of Apprenticeship

You will be supported by both a postsecondary instructor and a dual credit teacher at your high school. You can also access supports and services from the institution delivering the dual credit.

Dual credit courses are offered through partnerships between:

  • publicly funded school boards
  • Ontario colleges of applied arts and technology
  • Indigenous Institutes
  • non-college training delivery agents

These partnerships give you the opportunity to earn dual credits.

Benefits of dual credit programs

Participating in a dual credit program can help you:

  • complete your high school diploma (OSSD)
  • transition to a postsecondary or an apprenticeship program
  • explore postsecondary and apprenticeship pathways
  • plan your next steps after high school

Eligibility

You may be eligible if you are:

  • at risk of not graduating from high school
  • enrolled in a Specialist High Skills Major
  • enrolled in the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program
  • returning to high school to get your diploma
  • interested in exploring career pathways, including apprenticeships
  • looking for help transitioning to a postsecondary or apprenticeship program

To find out if you are eligible, your first step is to contact your high school principal or guidance counsellor.

Your school board, school principal or guidance department determines if you are eligible to take a dual credit program on a case-by-case basis.

Types of dual credit courses

You can take a dual credit course or apprenticeship training through:

Postsecondary-delivered dual credit courses

You can take dual credit courses that teach content from postsecondary curriculum or apprenticeship curriculum.

You can earn up to 4 optional high school credits by completing postsecondary courses or Level 1 apprenticeship training offered through:

  • participating publicly funded colleges
  • Indigenous Institutes
  • approved non-college training delivery agents

Contact your high school principal or guidance counsellor to learn about postsecondary-delivered dual credit courses.

Team-taught dual credit courses

Team-taught dual credit courses are postsecondary courses or Level 1 apprenticeship training delivered jointly by postsecondary instructors and high school teachers.

In these courses, you learn content from both the secondary school curriculum and postsecondaryor apprenticeship curriculum. The paired high school and postsecondary courses cover many of the same topics.

For apprenticeship training, you learn content from both the secondary school curriculum and the in-class Level 1 apprenticeship curriculum.

These programs are typically delivered in a 2-period block at your high school.

There is no limit to the number of compulsory or optional high school credits you can earn through team-taught dual credit courses.

Contact your high school principal or guidance counsellor to learn about team-taught dual credit courses.

Approved training delivery agents

You can earn up to 4 optional high school credits by taking dual credit Level 1 apprenticeship training provided by:

  • a publicly funded college
  • a union training centre
  • a career college
  • a non-profit organization
  • an Indigenous Institute

Contact your high school principal or guidance counsellor to learn about participating colleges and approved non-college training delivery agents in your region.

Find a dual credit program

Talk to your guidance counsellor to find out which dual credit courses are available at your high school and whether you’re eligible.

Policy guide for dual credit partners and educators

Read Dual credit program policy and requirements.

It has guidance for staff at:

  • school boards
  • colleges
  • Indigenous Institutes
  • non-college training delivery agents
  • high schools (administrators and educators who are involved in developing and delivering dual credit programs)

Email skillsdevelopmentandapprenticeshipbranch@ontario.ca if you have any questions about this policy document.