Dual credit – Start-up funding for school authorities

Important dates

Apply for funding

For the 2025/26 school year, Alberta Education is investing $4 million to support dual credit programming. In addition, Seniors, Community and Social Services is providing $550,000 per year for the next 2 years to support dual credit health care aide grants. 

Funding

School authorities can use this grant to create new dual credit programming at any school or support existing programming at a new school within their authority.

School authorities can collaborate to provide dual credit programming. Authorities apply together with one school authority being designated as the lead. The lead authority receives the funding and is responsible for managing the grant and reporting on behalf of all partners.

Eligible school authorities may apply for one start-up funding grant up to $50,000 for dual credit opportunities for the 2025/26 school year.

Health Care Aide grants

To attract young Albertans to high demand careers in continuing care, Seniors, Community and Social Services is providing $550,000 per year for the next 2 years to support Health Care Aide dual credit start-up and enhancement grants. This targeted funding aims to increase the number of students pursuing a career in continuing care and help alleviate growing workforce pressures.

Eligibility

The following school authorities and schools are eligible to apply:

• public
• separate
• francophone
• First Nations/First Nation Education Authority
• public charter
• accredited funded independent (private)

Mandatory criteria

The dual credit application must:

• align with Alberta Education’s description of dual credit as defined in the Alberta Dual Credit Framework and Dual Credit Implementation Guide: Supporting the Alberta Dual Credit Framework
• not be the same or similar to programming funded through other government grant funding
• not be connected to a high school upgrading course or post-secondary continuing education course or program
• be completed at the school authority level and signed by the superintendent, education director or an authorized designate
• be submitted via email by the deadline

Assessment criteria

The applicant must identify and describe how the proposed dual credit opportunity:

• connects to the local or provincial labour market
• meets students’ interests or needs
• will make a difference in the local context
• will be implemented during the current school year

How to apply

Step 1. Review the guiding documents

Ensure the dual credit opportunity aligns with the description, guiding principles and criteria in the:
•    Alberta Dual Credit Framework
•    Dual Credit Implementation Guide: Supporting the Alberta Dual Credit Framework

Step 2. Complete the application

Alberta Education Dual Credit Start-up Funding Application

Step 3. Submit the application package

Email the application to [email protected] by May 2, 2025

After you apply

The application review takes up to 6 weeks from the application closing date.

Once the review is complete, applicants will receive an email notifying them about their application status. If start-up funding is approved, it will be distributed to the lead school authority at the beginning of the following school year.

Reporting

School authorities must report on the dual credit start-up funding allocated for a school year by July 31. The report needs to identify:

• any partners who collaborated on the programming
• revenue and expenses for the school year
• how many students participated
• a description of the learning opportunity
• promising practices that worked
• challenges that were addressed
• next steps to sustain the programming

All school authorities must report on the dual credit start-up funding allocated for the school year by July 31. However, if school authorities have not spent the start-up grant funding they were allocated, it can be carried forward to the next school year by completing the grant reporting template. Once that school year ends, another report needs to be submitted for the reallocated amount.

The lead school authority is responsible for completing and submitting the report by using the interactive Dual Credit Start-up Funding Grant Reporting Template.

Related

• Dual credit enhancement funding for schools
• Registered Apprenticeship Program
• Career and Technology Studies
• Off-campus Education