if you qualify for the free tuition at suny and maintain requirements, wouldn’t it be a waste of money to pay for dual courses???
correct me if i’m wrong
No, I don’t necessarily think so.
Taking dual enrollment courses-- as long as SUNY recognizes them, frees up your schedule for electives you want to take.
True, it’s money you might not otherwise have to spend, but I do think it has value.
I thought so 
If the courses are accepted as useful* transfer credit to the SUNY you are interested in, then it can make sense to get the college credit for them.
*Useful could be credit units, subject credit, and/or advanced placement. Which of these is of value to you depends on your situation.
My understanding is that to qualify for the grant at least 12 of the credits you take each semester have to be required for your major. My son took courses his first 2 years that counted for more than one requirement (for ex., one course counted as English AND an intensive writing gen ed), so now we’re having trouble finding courses that are required for his degree that won’t overload his schedule. Kids who change majors or who aren’t sure what major they want (so they start with gen eds) may not have enough required courses left to qualify for the grant all 4 years.
If dual enrollment courses are accepted as electives or gen eds, it may fill up spaces that won’t be available later. Maybe @sybbie719 can give some insight on how it works.
You have to accumulate 30 credits toward your degree each year (including summer).
please see FAQs regarding scholarship
When I went to the NYSASAC meeting in June the excelsior is not guaranteed money. If too many people apply and are eligible there will be a lottery for the scholarships.
So far with yesterday’s application deadline there have been 70k applications:
The State University of New York had 47,984 applications for free tuition, while the City University of New York had 22,233
Maybe some of these numbers will go down as a result of you cannot double dip (meaning students may not be eligible because they receive enough TAP and PELL to cover their tuition).
The excelsior scholarship has also cause a surge in applications at SUNY. The school that may have been a lock for you last year, may be a reach this year.