On-the-Ground—From High School to College Success: How Dual Credit is Driving Change at JJC

Dr. Clyne G. H. Namuo is the 10th president of Joliet Junior College.

In Illinois, a quiet but significant shift has been taking place. Community college students are completing their programs at higher rates than in previous years, and the trend is impossible to miss. Associate’s degree graduation rates within 150% of normal time climbed from 17 percent for the 2003 cohort to 31 percent for the 2017 cohort, placing Illinois 13th nationally. Completions are up 6.7 percent since 2020. These system-level numbers reflect deliberate choices made by the state’s community colleges. Joliet Junior College (JJC) is one of them. 

When speaking with JJC President Dr. Clyne Namuo, one theme came through repeatedly: intentionality. Focusing on completion does not sit in a single program or office. It is embedded in the school’s culture. At JJC, that culture is strikingly tangible in how the college reimagined its relationship with local high schools through dual credit programming. A decade ago, JJC was not known as a strong dual credit partner. That is no longer the case. With the appointment of Dr. Namuo as president in 2022, the college made dual credit a centerpiece of its mission and also designed systems of support around it. These efforts have dramatically changed students’ trajectories before they even set foot on campus. 

Dual Credit in Illinois  
Across Illinois, first-time full-time students who took at least one dual credit course in high school graduate at substantially higher rates than their peers who did not. According to ICCB’s Dual Credit in the Illinois Community College System FY 2023 Report, for each of the last five cohorts, the dual credit subgroup’s graduation rate was roughly 20 percentage points higher. For the most recent cohort analyzed, 51.25% of dual credit students graduated compared with 33.13% of those without dual credit. This is not a marginal effect; dual credit provides an on-ramp for students to postsecondary opportunity1. 

JJC leaned into this on-ramp with a clear and memorable initiative: 12x12x12. The idea is not a mandate but an aspirational framework: a goal for every student in the district to complete 12 college credits by 12th grade at a cost of 12 dollars per credit. Acting as both a promise and a challenge, the college meets students where they are: in their high school journeys, in their schedules, and in their budgets. Since adopting this approach in 2023, JJC’s dual credit headcount has reached 8,341 students (as of FY25), a 65 percent increase from FY23, moving the college to second place in the state for dual credit participation. As a result, students are arriving at college with more credits in hand, shrinking time and cost to degree. Arriving with credits also gives them a sense of belonging and momentum; they see themselves as college students because, in fact, they already are. 

The college backed this initiative with resources. JJC and the JJC Foundation created a straightforward incentive: if a student at a partner high school completes 12 dual credits and then enrolls at JJC, they receive a $500 award. Further, advising capacity was expanded, and dedicated dual credit liaisons and tutors were added. Student Success Coaches proactively help students bridge the transition to college and connect to services like the student wellness center and tutoring. These moves are not flashy, but together they form the scaffolding that helps a high school senior become a college graduate. 

The supports are part of a deliberate design. JJC’s Strategic Enrollment Management 4.0 plan puts the student experience at the center, from onboarding through graduation. That includes a redesigned new-student orientation, “Next Step Days” held at local high schools to guide seniors through final enrollment steps like admissions, testing, and scholarships, and centralized placement using multiple measures to keep students from getting stuck before they start. Advising access has grown sharply. Appointments rose 49 percent from 2023 to 2024, with additional gains in early 2025 as the college hired and trained more advisors and launched a hybrid advising training program to ensure consistent, high-quality advising 

JJC is also explicit in its goal toward equity. As noted in our report, while graduation rates have improved for all groups statewide, gaps remain for Black and Latinx students. JJC tracks persistence and retention for these groups and aims to actively move the needle. Latinx fall-to-fall retention rose from 41 percent in FY22 to 47 percent in FY24. Black fall-to-fall retention rose from 36 percent to 41 percent over the same period. While equity gaps remain, these gains represent meaningful progress. The Tutoring and Learning Center on campus has been pivotal: among students flagged for academic intervention who used tutoring, persistence rates were far higher than for similar students who did not, and the gains were especially important for Black and Latinx learners. 

The through-line is that JJC treats completion as a cross-campus responsibility. JJC utilizes federal TRIO programs to support first-generation and low-income students. The Center for Multicultural Access and Success serves as a dedicated resource center for English Learners and international students. Career Services helps students connect coursework to career pathways through internships, job exploration, and employment opportunities aligned with their interests and growing skills.  

Taken together, these choices help explain why more Illinois students reach the finish line and why JJC’s own outcomes are moving in a strong direction. The lesson is not that one program fixes everything; it is that progress is built on many different investments that make a difference when they are aligned. At the core, however, is JJC’s conviction that dual credit is one of the most powerful tools to drive student success, with other supports layered around it to help students persist and complete. 

There is more work to do. The pressures that students face are real, and research shows that equity gaps do not close without intentional action; states that fail to adopt direct interventions tend to see gaps persist or widen2. But Illinois has a clear path ahead. By continuing to expand dual credit with an equity lens and investing in advising, tutoring, and student wellness, community colleges across the state can build on recent graduation rate gains. JJC offers a compelling blueprint for how Illinois can sustain and accelerate this momentum. 

Jeffrey Jen is a Senior Policy Associate for Advance Illinois.