Auburn University Will Offer Dual Enrollment Classes to Students Next Year, Yet Few Show Interest

In Alpharetta and Milton, it’s not unusual to see people sporting Auburn University sweatshirts or the school’s logo on bumper stickers and license plates. 

Many alumni, current undergraduates and fans live in the area. In fact, more than 200 students from Fulton County enroll at Auburn each year, said Julie Huff in an email, the school’s assistant vice president of Strategic Initiatives and Communications. 

Recently, Auburn has taken a huge step in making itself even more prominent in the district. 

Because it is such a popular choice among graduating students from the area, last October Fulton County Schools announced a partnership with the university to offer online dual enrollment courses to rising juniors and seniors starting this fall. 

With such a profound addition to the dual enrollment program and with next year’s course registration in progress, one would infer students would jump at the opportunity. 

Head counselor Samiah Garcia said Wednesday that the dual enrollment numbers for the 2022-2023 school year are not finalized. However, interviews with rising juniors and seniors suggest interest in Auburn may be low.  

Auburn offers dual enrollment students a few benefits, such as the classes extending a whole semester, whereas with Young Harris College — a common selection among students who dual enroll — they are half of a semester. It’s less of a stressful time crunch to accomplish assignments. 

Additionally, according to Auburn’s website, by Aug. 15 of their senior year, students who complete six hours of dual enrollment credit – the equivalent of two courses – with Auburn and who have an unweighted 3.0 GPA “will qualify for automatic admission to Auburn University.” 

Though there are advantages to the program, rising juniors and seniors at Cambridge said it’s the cost that turns them away. 

Each course is $550, and that doesn’t include textbooks and additional class supplies. 

“No thanks,” said Kendyll Sicchitano, a sophomore. 

She’ll be taking World History and U.S. History with Young Harris next year. Young Harris is perfectly fine with her, she said. She doesn’t care about the school or its status; she just wants the college credit. 

Plus, dual enrolling with a Georgia college or university is free. 

Hypothetically, she said, taking a class with Auburn “might make me apply, but it doesn’t necessarily mean I’d go there.” 

Junior Brayden Anderson is a hardcore dual enrollment student. He doesn’t take his classes online, but rather he drives to the Georgia State University satellite campus in Alpharetta. 

“It’s really cool. I have a couple of friends in [my classes] now,” he said. 

He then checks in at Cambridge after advisement. 

By the end of this semester, he will have completed four courses with GSU. Next year, he’ll be full-time dual enrolled. 

His involvement in GSU makes him uninterested in what Auburn has to offer. 

“Dual enrollment’s free otherwise, absolutely not,” he said. “I’m not paying $500 [each] for eight classes. That’s not happening, especially when I can get free textbooks and classes [at GSU].” 

Moreover, he likes the aspect of taking college courses face-to-face, which isn’t possible with Auburn. 

Sophomore Sofia Batista is looking forward to starting dual enrollment with Young Harris as a junior. 

“It’s less rigorous than AP, but it’s still considered rigorous, so there’s that advantage, and also to get some experience of college classes and what I’ll be seeing in a few years,” she said. 

However, like Sicchitano and Anderson, Auburn’s tuition and extra fees make the option less appealing. 

“I think it’s a good opportunity to go to a more prestigious school, but it is interesting that you have to pay the whole cost of it, so I don’t think it’s as beneficial for what most Cambridge kids want,” said Batista. 

Though it’s a good opportunity, she said, “Personally, I would not even consider it, because as good of a school Auburn is, I don’t need it for dual enrollment.”