The 2024 Virginia General Assembly enacted Chapters 647 and 684 creating the College and Career Ready Virginia Program and Fund requirements. This Program requires dual enrollment and the participation of qualified high school students in college courses pursuant to the Passport Program and the Uniform Certificate of General Studies Program established by the Code of Virginia. These programs direct the board of visitors of each baccalaureate public institution of higher education to develop an articulation agreement, dual admissions and guaranteed admissions agreements for students who earn an associate degree concurrently with a high school diploma.

The Uniform Certificate of General Studies (UCGS) is a one-year college program in which all courses are transferable and satisfy lower-division general education requirements at any Virginia public institution of higher education. The Passport Program is a component of the UCGS and is therefore a subset of courses in the UCGS. Each school board must offer each qualified student in the local school division access to courses at each high school that are sufficient to complete the Passport Program and UCGS at a public institution of higher education at no cost to each student. These course offerings may be in person or virtual.

In addition to the above legislation, in August 2024, the Virginia Board of Education adopted a new accountability structure, the School Performance and Support Framework, that included the 3E Readiness Framework as the high school readiness indicator. The 3E Readiness Framework was designed in coordination with employers, higher education leaders, parents, and K-12 educators measuring student engagement in employment, enlistment and enrollment (3E) outcome-based experiences. These 3E experiences build upon middle school exploration and ensure that every student has the opportunity to earn credit for courses that are foundational to earning an associates degree and are transferable to a 4-year college.

The dual enrollment tuition scholarship grant was first funded by the General Assembly in fiscal year 2020. However, due to language requiring applicants to be enrolled in an approved undergraduate or graduate teacher education program applicable to dual enrollment and industrial credential course curriculum available for public high school students, no scholarship awards were granted during that year.

In fiscal year 2021, an amendment to the appropriation language allowed school divisions to identify eligible candidates and apply for scholarships on their behalf. Since this revision, the Virginia Department of Education (the Department) has seen a steady increase in applications and has awarded more funds each year. During fiscal year 2025, the appropriation language was amended to include funding for teachers pursuing additional training or coursework to teach an industry-recognized credential in local school divisions. This amendment aimed to increase the number of educators that were necessary to teach both dual enrollment and industry-recognized credentials.