Expert recommends cost-saving strategy for college education.

Early college programs, a type of dual enrollment that allows high school students to complete college-level coursework, are a proven pathway to getting a degree for significantly less money. After enrollment in two-year colleges nosedived during the pandemic, a number of students are now catching on, according to a new report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, which showed a jump in dual enrollment. Completing some coursework at a community college and then transferring to a four-year school shaves two years off the cost of a bachelor's degree, effectively cutting the tab in half, as well as the student loan debt.