Colleges announced for Pell 'dual enrollment' program

WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of low-income students in nearly two dozen states will soon be able to get federal grants to take college courses for credit while still in high school, part of a program the Obama administration plans to begin this summer.

In the 2010-11 school year, more than 1.4 million high school students took courses offered by a college or university for credit through dual enrollment programs.

According to the department, less than 10 percent of children born in the bottom fourth of household incomes earn a bachelor's degree by age 25, compared to over 50 percent in the top fourth.