When Nialys Suarez was a senior at Audubon Technology & Communication High School in Milwaukee, she set foot in the school only twice that entire year.
Instead, she spent her days at the campuses of UW-Milwaukee and Milwaukee Area Technical College through M-Cubed College Connections, a dual enrollment program that helps students take college courses while still in high school.
Suarez, a first-generation college student, said her parents supported her decision to participate in M-Cubed College Connections because it gave her the chance to earn two semesters of college credit for free. They also noticed that it ignited her interest in academics. Her high school grades were decent, but the experience had been underwhelming for her.
“I just wasn’t really focused,” Suarez said. “This program gave me an opportunity to refocus and really figure out what I wanted to do.”
In her M-Cubed year, she took classes in math, English, biology, educational psychology and ethnic studies. She learned to go to office hours to ask her professors for help when she needed it, and to put in the work outside of class. She had support from staff members such as Jordan Kellogg, outreach program coordinator for UWM’s Office of Dual Enrollment.
“I gained a perspective on what college is,” Suarez said. “Without this, I don’t think I would have been ready.”
It paid off. When she applied for college, Suarez was accepted to UW-Madison and UWM but chose UWM. “I already knew so many people and made so many connections,” she said. “I already felt at home.”
Dual-enrollment: ‘A difference-maker’
Data shows that students who do dual enrollment programs such as M-Cubed at UWM are more likely to enroll at UWM for college – and it increases their chances of graduating. Of the dual enrollment students who attend college at UWM, 42% graduate within four years, compared with 26% of non-dual enrollment students
For underrepresented minorities, “dual enrollment is a big difference-maker in their college success,” said Kathleen Breuer, associate director for dual enrollment at UWM. The 2024-25 data shows that 82% of Hispanic students who completed dual enrollment at UWM returned for their second year of college, compared with 70% who did not do dual enrollment. And 67% of dual enrollment Black students came back for their second year, compared with 62% of non-dual enrollment students.
College courses in a high school building
“Dual enrollment” is an umbrella term that includes multiple programs, including the Early College Credit Program, M-Cubed and concurrent enrollment, an increasingly popular option that allows students to take college courses in their high school building, taught by a qualified instructor. In 2024-25, about 950 high school students took part in on-campus or virtual UWM courses, while 1,800 attended those classes at their high school.
“That’s where we’ve seen the most growth,” said Vicki Bott, who oversees academic partnerships in UWM’s Office of Dual Enrollment. “Of the 2.8 million high school students who earned college credit nationally last year, most were concurrent enrollment.” This option is easier for students because they don’t need transportation to campus or technology to access a remote class, she said.
Concurrent courses are typically taught by qualified high school teachers who work with UWM faculty mentors. The mentor trains, supervises, and supports the high school teacher so that students taking a UWM class at their high school have an experience equivalent to those taking the same course on campus. The dual enrollment teacher receives $500 from UWM for “the extra work that comes with teaching a dual enrollment class,” Bott said.
UWM partners with more than 25 Milwaukee-area high schools to provide some form of dual enrollment to their students. These include public schools, charter schools and suburban schools in Brookfield, Glendale and New Berlin, among others.
What makes dual enrollment popular?
High school administrators and parents often request dual enrollment courses, Bott said. “I would say it’s partly demand from families, a reaction to the cost of higher education,” she said. “They want to be able to do it cheaper.”
Students who apply to college with university credits on their transcript may be more competitive. And having students who participate in dual enrollment raises high schools’ standings on state report cards, she added.
In some cases, dual enrollment may be preferrable to Advanced Placement courses. “If students don’t pass that AP test, they don’t get college credit,” Breuer said. “With dual enrollment, if you take the class and you complete it, you get the credit. Students don’t have to rely on that high-stakes test.”
Inviting students to make UWM home
While other universities in the UW system offer dual enrollment to high schools across the state, “our goal is really to focus on Milwaukee students,” Breuer said.
She and her colleagues aim to help dual enrollment students feel connected to UWM. Kellogg, the outreach program coordinator, brings concurrent enrollment students to campus for activities related to their courses.
For example, those taking an Intro to Teaching course at their high schools often attend the annual Future Educators Summit, held at UWM in partnership with the School of Education. High schoolers spend the day hearing from keynote speakers and participating in hands-on activities related to education careers. Other students might join a class meeting of the same course on campus, participate in a workshop in the library, or tour the health sciences simulation lab, then have lunch in the Student Union.
Students like these on-campus experiences, Breuer said, and surveys reveal that they’re more likely to choose UWM for college once they’ve had their day on campus.
Success and flexibility
Suarez is succeeding at UWM. A committed student worker at the Roberto Hernandez Center, she expects to graduate early, in spring or fall 2027. Entering college with 24 credits gave her the flexibility in her first year to explore possible majors such as business and communications, but she will graduate with a degree in early childhood education. She aims to teach the primary grades.
She credits dual enrollment for setting her on this path. And she encourages high schoolers to consider it if they are weighing the possibility of college.
“It does help you get ready for college,” Suarez says. “If you have the opportunity, I would say do it.”
