Dual Enrollment FAQs

Frequently asked questions for: students and parents & high school educators.

Students and Parents 

• Who can sign up for dual enrollment classes at SJSU?

  • High school students in their junior and senior years can enroll in dual enrollment classes during the fall and spring semesters. Students may not enroll in SJSU classes through Dual Enrollment Programs during summer and winter intersession, or after graduating from high school.

    During the Winter & Summer terms & after high school graduation, students may take SJSU courses for regular term enrollment through Open University.

• What courses am I allowed to take through Dual Enrollment Programs at SJSU?

  • Students enrolling through STC On Campus at SJSU may enroll in any lower division undergraduate course for which they meet the course prerequisites. Lower division courses are numbered 01-99. Courses numbered 100 or higher are not available for STC On Campus enrollment.

    Students in a dual enrollment course offered through STC Partnerships or Unitrack will be able to enroll in classes arranged by their high school or district.

• How many college units am I allowed to take in one semester? How many college units am I allowed to take in total?  

  • Through dual enrollment, students can enroll in a maximum of four (4) units per semester and eight (8) units total throughout their high school career. In most cases, these limits mean one course per semester and two courses maximum.

    These limits apply across all dual enrollment programs. So, for example, a student who takes one four-unit course through Unitrack would be able to enroll in up to four units through STC On Campus.

• What is the cost of a course taken through Dual Enrollment Programs?

  • At present, the cost per course is $20. The fee is the same regardless of whether the course is taken through STC On Campus, STC Partnerships, or Unitrack. This fee may be adjusted in future semesters to cover increases to the cost of administering the program.

    If you pay by credit card, a small convenience charge will be added to the course fee.

• When can I register for fall and spring classes?

  • For all three programs (STC On Campus, or Unitrack), students will enroll in Fall classes during the previous May and in spring classes during the previous November—that is, approximately two to three months before classes begin. Exact dates will vary by term.

    For STC on Campus, Students will be enrolled on the first day of instruction but enrollment needs to be arranged prior to the courses. Please fill out the form prior to in order to arrange enrollment. 

    For Unitrack Partnerships, students will be enrolled 2 weeks prior to the beginng of the SJSU term. Participating students will be messaged prior to the course about responsibilities for registration and payment. 

• Can I participate in the Dual Enrollment Programs in the summer and winter?

  • Students may not enroll in SJSU classes through Dual Enrollment Programs during summer and winter intersession. Student may enroll through open unviersity. 

• Is it possible to drop a class after I have enrolled?  

  • To drop a class, you must receive permission from your instructor (Unitrack), the high school administrator in charge of your program (Step To College Partnership), or your high school counselor (Step to College On Campus). Have that individual send an email to dualenrollment@sjsu.edu. The email should include your full name, SJSU ID number, the course and section that you want to drop, and the reason for your withdrawal. Please note that all drops must be requested at least two business days before the Last Day to Drop Without a "W" date for the term. Please refer to SJSU's Academic Calendar for details. 

• Who do I contact if I have any questions about the enrollment process?

  • If you encounter any technical problems during the enrollment process, contact the IT Service Desk by phone, chat, or Zoom. Be sure to mention that you are a Unitrack or Step to College student. If you have any questions about the Unitrack or Step to College program and how your college credits work, contact Dual Enrollment Programs at dualenrollment@sjsu.edu or just reply to this message.

• What happens if I do not pass a course I am taking at SJSU through a dual enrollment program?

  • Courses taken through Dual Enrollment Programs are part of your SJSU transcript. If you attend SJSU as an undergraduate, your grades in dual enrollment courses will be included in your GPA calculation.

    You are strongly encouraged to do the best you can in your courses and to seek out academic support if you are struggling. If you are taking a course at SJSU through Step to College, you can find support through Peer Connections, SJSU’s main tutoring and mentoring center. If you are taking a course through Unitrack, please talk to your counselor or teacher about what support may be available at your school.

• Who do I contact if I have general questions about Unitrack or Step to College program other than the enrollment process?

  • If you have questions about Dual Enrollment Programs, please email dualenrollment@sjsu.edu.

High School Educators

• What is the process for getting a high school course approved as an SJSU equivalent through Unitrack?

  • First, please identify the course at your high school that you would like to match to a course at SJSU. The SJSU Course Catalog may help you identify a potential match; however, if you cannot identify a specific course, you can submit a more general request. (For example, “We would like to match our yearlong statistics course to an Elementary Statistics course at SJSU.”) Once you identify the course, please fill out the partnership request form. 

    Second, Dual Enrollment Programs will contact the department in question to initiate the matching process. Please note that some departments at SJSU will not approve course matches, and those that are willing to approve matches will not do so in every case.

    If a department is willing to consider your course as a match for one of its own, we will contact you regarding the next steps in the approval process. As part of the process, your school will be required to submit the following:

    1. A resume or CV of any instructor who would teach the course at your school
    2. A copy of your course syllabus
    3. The name of the textbook you plan to use
    4. Curriculum samples, including assignments or homework, lecture notes or slides, and exams

    Some departments may require additional materials.

    The approval process may take as long as six months, so please time your request accordingly. Also, please note that only lower division SJSU courses — that is, courses numbered 01-99 — will be considered for course matches.

• What is the process for getting students from my school or district into a class at SJSU through STC Partnerships?

  • If your school or district would like to reserve seats in one or more SJSU classes, please complete the STC partnership interest form with the specific course title and number (e.g., MATH 30) and the number of seats you would like to reserve. The SJSU Course Catalog may help you identify appropriate courses; however, you can also submit a more general request. (For example, “We would like to reserve seats in a first year macroeconomics course.”)

    After receiving your request, we will contact the department or college in question to inquire about reserving seats. Please note that some departments at SJSU may not approve seat reservations, and those that do may not approve seat reservations in every case.

    If the department approves the partnerships, we will follow up with you about next steps for enrollment. 

• I am a high school counselor. If a student approaches me about taking a class at SJSU, what is my first step?

  • First, help your student identify the course that he or she would like to take. If the course has prerequisites, confirm that the student has met them. The SJSU Course Catalog may help you identify appropriate courses and their prerequisites.

    Next, help your student submit an enrollment request using the Enrollment Request Form.If you were not able to identify a single course using the catalog link above, you can send a more generic request through the form. For example: “I would like to enroll in an introductory course in Anthropology.” We will work with the student to find an appropriate course.

    Once you and the student have agreed upon the course and have submitted the interest form, we will initiate the enrollment process. We will follow up with you about specifics of enrollment once the interest form has been submitted. 

• Is it possible for a student to drop a class after enrolling?

  • Yes; however, a high school counselor or administrator must first approve the drop; requests received directly from students will not be considered. Furthermore, the drop request must be submitted at least two business days before the Last Day to Drop Without a "W" deadline. Please refer to SJSU's Academic Calendar for details. 

    To submit a request, send the student’s name, SJSU ID, and course to dualenrollment@sjsu.edu, along with the reason for the drop.