Beth Schiavino-Narvaez, the director of the Department of Defense Education Activity, talks with language arts students at Kaiserslautern High School in Germany during a visit on Feb. 5, 2025. A provision in the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act would require the Defense Department to reimburse DODEA families up to $1,500 a year from existing funds for dual enrollment college courses. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

Students in Defense Department high schools could see more college-level coursework opportunities and financial resources under a provision in the annual defense spending bill.

Overseas military families would especially benefit from the proposal, which would authorize the Department of Defense Education Activity director to enter into agreements with postsecondary institutions to give students access to dual enrollment programs.

Students in such programs can earn college and high school course credit simultaneously.

The proposal also calls for providing up to $1,500 annually to students per school year to cover the costs of dual enrollment, according to the bill.

“Currently, DODEA students pay out of pocket for these opportunities and must organize these arrangements, whereas high school students nationwide have access to state-funded dual enrollment programs,” U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., said in June when introducing the bill.

The legislation authorizes DODEA to use existing Defense Department funds to pay for the college-level courses both overseas and in the U.S., he said.

On Wednesday, the House passed a compromise version of the fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. The Senate is expected to take up the 3,000-page bill next week.

DODEA already offers a dual enrollment program, but it “is incredibly challenging for parents,” who must bear the costs and find qualifying coursework, said Kim Day, a military spouse and parent who has been a longtime advocate for education reform in DODEA.

Parents and students must research colleges that offer qualifying courses; pay for and register for the classes themselves; and submit information showing why they think the class should qualify for credit, Day said.

“It is a very difficult process,” she said.

Under DODEA policy, eligible students in grades 10-12 who are enrolled at least half time in a DODEA high school may earn both high school and college credit through an accredited college or university, with prior approval from the school principal, DODEA spokeswoman Jessica Tackaberry said.

Dual enrollment classes must meet DODEA graduation requirements, and the work is documented on the student’s official transcript, she said. 

But the key piece remains funding, an issue the school advisory committee at Humphreys High School in South Korea has been pushing for several years, said Day, the committee’s former chairwoman.

“Families are expecting to find what they had in the States, only to find out it really isn’t offered in the way they are used to,” she said.

In DODEA, all expenses associated with dual enrollment are the responsibility of the student’s family, according to the current policy.

That differs from the U.S., where local education authorities in many states typically have agreements or partnerships with community colleges and state universities to offer free or reduced-cost college classes to high school students, a huge savings for families, Day said.

Most schools also have a registration night, when families can sign up for dual enrollment, a process that “is easy and streamlined,” she said.

Gabriela Egan, a military spouse and DODEA parent in Germany, said two of her sons had very different experiences with dual enrollment while attending DODEA schools in South Korea and Germany.

For her oldest, who graduated from Humphreys High School in 2023, the process was completely led by students and parents “with very little help from the administration, other than a letter of approval,” she said in an email Thursday.

Her son had to look for classes that he thought would earn him high school credits, and the family paid a total of $1,875 for three online classes his senior year, she said.

Her son will graduate from college early with a computer science degree as a result of taking Advanced Placement and dual enrollment courses, Egan said.

The process at Wiesbaden High School in Germany was much easier for Egan’s second son, she said. He graduated this year.

The counselor had a list of dual enrollment classes that would earn high school credit, “and we walked out with a sealed envelope for the University of Maryland Global Campus office to register,” she said.

Egan has two more sons, including one in 10th grade, and the proposed legislation has her excited.

“Although military students living overseas gain so much through travel and experiencing other cultures, there’s still a big gap in some of the class offerings and opportunities available to them in DODEA schools,” she said.

“Making the process easier and more affordable will allow students to truly focus on their interests without adding a financial burden, and it will help narrow the divide between military and non-military kids.”

Another provision for the dual enrollment authority in the bill would allow DODEA educators to teach university classes for dual credit with the proper certification and training, according to language in the bill.

The legislation also calls on DODEA to inform elementary and secondary school students and their families about dual enrollment opportunities and provide guidance on eligibility requirements, necessary preparatory coursework and academic expectations.

The defense secretary, meanwhile, is tasked with providing an update on the program one year after the bill is enacted, and then annually for the next four years.

“If everything turns out like what we have been advocating for, eventually we may see a contract between certain universities and DODEA schools,” Day said. “This would allow a more equitable experience for our children when they are stationed overseas.”