National Student Clearinghouse and National Student Clearinghouse Research Center Announce New Board Members

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National Student Clearinghouse and National Student Clearinghouse Research Center Announce New Board Members

HERNDON, VA – (JUNE 16, 2020) – The National Student Clearinghouse and the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center announced today new members to each of their respective Board of Directors. Dr. Monty Sullivan, System President, Louisiana Community and Technical College System, was named the new board chair, and Dr. Anne Bryant, Executive Director Emerita, National School Boards Association, as the new vice chair.

“I am honored to serve as the next Chair of the National Student Clearinghouse Board of Directors,” said Dr. Sullivan. “The Clearinghouse is an important partner for the education sector. Their wide-reaching data analysis, reporting, and research help to inform our work as educators. I’m excited about the Clearinghouse’s future and look forward to serving in this leadership role.”

“The Clearinghouse’s goal of data and information democratization has never been more relevant than it is today,” said Rick Torres, President and CEO, National Student Clearinghouse. “To accomplish this end, we are evolving our data and information beyond traditional education to provide a more holistic data driven view of education, skills, and workforce pathways to better directly serve lifelong learners, and institutions of learning and enterprise. With that in mind, we enthusiastically welcome these national leaders in K12, workforce, accreditation, and higher education to the Board of Directors. I look forward to their insights in support of moving the Clearinghouse’s mission forward.”

The new Clearinghouse board members are:

The new Research Center board members are:

Dr. Thomas Brock, Director, Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University
Dr. Brian Prescott, Vice President, National Center for Higher Education Management Systems
Dr. Marsal Stoll, Chief Executive Officer, Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing
David R. Troutman, Associate Vice Chancellor, University of Texas System

“The Research Center is very grateful to these four new members for volunteering to serve on our board,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director of the Research Center. “Particularly as we work to publish data on the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic and current events, the Research Center is going to need the advice and experience of all of our board members to help education institutions better serve students and improve outcomes for disadvantaged learners.”

The Clearinghouse is governed by a board of directors comprised of a cross-section of the constituencies that it serves, including representatives from educational institutions, educational associations, and the education finance industry. The makeup of the Clearinghouse’s board reflects its status as a trusted, neutral, and reliable source for educational information and services.

About the National Student Clearinghouse^®

The National Student Clearinghouse, a nonprofit formed in 1993, is the trusted source for and leading provider of higher education verifications and electronic education record exchanges.

The Clearinghouse serves as a single point of contact for the collection and timely exchange of accurate and comprehensive enrollment, degree, and certificate records on behalf of its more than 3,600 participating higher education institutions, which represent 98 percent of all students in public and private U.S. institutions. The Clearinghouse also provides thousands of high schools and districts with continuing collegiate enrollment, progression, and completion statistics on their alumni.

Through its verification, electronic exchange, and reporting services, the Clearinghouse saves the education community cumulatively over $750 million annually. Most Clearinghouse services are provided to colleges and universities at little or no charge, including enhanced transcript and research services, enabling institutions to redistribute limited staff and budget resources to more important student service efforts. Clearinghouse services are designed to facilitate an institution’s compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, The Higher Education Act, and other applicable laws. The Clearinghouse has signed the Student Privacy Pledge and is the first recipient of ikeepsafe.org’s FERPA compliance badge, which was awarded to its StudentTracker for High Schools service.

For more information, visit www.studentclearinghouse.org.

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Pace of College Enrollment Decline Slowed Nationwide Prior to Covid-19 Impact

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Pace of College Enrollment Decline Slowed Nationwide Prior to Covid-19 Impact

Research Center to Release June Special Enrollment Report Due to the Pandemic

HERNDON, VA – (MAY 26, 2020) – Overall postsecondary enrollments decreased 0.5 percent or 83,803 students from spring 2019, but the pace of decline slowed this year, according to the Spring 2020 Current Term Enrollment Estimates report. The report provides spring enrollment declines and increases for each state and the District of Columbia from 2018 to 2020.

“Prior to the pandemic, the research shows a slowing in the decline of enrollments nationally, and reversing declines in states like Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “However, some states like Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania saw an acceleration of declines.

“This report should be viewed as a pre-shutdown baseline that does not reflect any effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on enrollments. In June 2020, the Research Center will issue a special report to show within-term enrollment status changes, such as withdrawals, new enrollments and shifts in enrollment intensity, that may be attributable to the pandemic. Our special June enrollment report will give states and institutions a view into the immediate impact the pandemic had on spring term enrollments.”

According to the report, public sector enrollments involving two- and four-year colleges combined, which enrolled nearly three-quarters of all postsecondary students, fell by 1.3 percent or 163,964 students, compared to 1.9 percent and 244,376 students reported last year. It is also noteworthy that the recent growth in graduate student enrollments appears to have leveled off this year, with a slight drop of 3,286 students (-0.1%), after increases of 1.7 percent and 2 percent in the previous two years.

As opposed to the overall declines, dual enrollments of students under age 18 grew at an unprecedented rate of 6.9 percent or 46,737 students to 722,843 students. Over 70 percent of dual enrollees were in a public two-year institution and 24 percent enrolled in a public four-year institution. This dual enrollment pattern remains largely consistent with the previous two years (69% in 2019 and 67% in 2018).

Top states with largest enrollment decreases by number of students:

California -28,139

Pennsylvania -25,148

New York -20,439

Ohio -17,691

Missouri -15,529

Top states with largest enrollment increases by number of students:

Arizona 18,131

Utah 10,891

New Hampshire 5,600

North Carolina 4,372

Kentucky 4,316

The Current Term Enrollment Estimates Report Series is published every December and May by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. It provides national enrollment estimates by institutional sector, enrollment intensity, age group, gender, major field as well as state-level enrollment estimates. As of fall 2019, postsecondary institutions actively submitting enrollment data to the Clearinghouse account for 97 percent of the total enrollments at Title IV, degree-granting institutions in the United States.

About the National Student Clearinghouse^® Research Center™

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center is the research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse. The Research Center collaborates with higher education institutions, states, school districts, high schools, and educational organizations as part of a national effort to better inform education leaders and policymakers. Through accurate longitudinal data outcomes reporting, the Research Center enables better educational policy decisions leading to improved student outcomes.

The Research Center currently collects data from more than 3,600 postsecondary institutions, which represent 97 percent of the nation’s postsecondary enrollments in degree-granting institutions, as of 2018. Clearinghouse data track enrollments nationally and are not limited by institutional and state boundaries. To learn more, visit https://nscresearchcenter.org.

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How Will the Next Recession Impact U.S. College Enrollment, Persistence and Completions?

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How Will the Next Recession Impact U.S. College Enrollment, Persistence and Completions?

Higher Ed Lessons Learned During the Great Recession May Provide Insights

HERNDON, VA – (APRIL 15, 2020) – As the nation addresses the current economic turmoil caused by the coronavirus, National Student Clearinghouse Research Center data may help clarify how postsecondary pathways transpire during a recession and shed light for institutional and public policy makers to craft effective responses to respond to today’s uncertain times.

The findings presented in “National Postsecondary Enrollment Trends: Before, During, and After the Great Recession,” showcased patterns among traditional-age, first-time students enrolling in colleges and universities for fall 2006 through 2010. The report includes detailed trend summaries and related tables; color charts broken down by regions, institution types, years, and other important variables; and insights.

Furthermore, Completing College: A National View of Student Attainment Rates – Fall 2008 Cohort reveals that while a larger number of students enrolled during the peak of the recession, completion rates declined. The largest decrease in completions was among nontraditional age students.

“During the Great Recession, our data showed that the impact on postsecondary institutions is not immediate; community colleges and for-profits saw the greatest increases in enrollment, mostly among older students who showed up later in the recession,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “However, the coronavirus impact will likely be different, especially among out of state and international enrollments as many students will want to stay closer to home, and students that continue with on-line education options. State budgets will undoubtedly be hit hard again, even as some states were just now getting their higher education funding back up to pre-recession levels.”

The “National Postsecondary Enrollment Trends: Before, During, and After the Great Recession,” findings include:

Community colleges experienced dramatic increases in enrollment after a delay of one to two years.
The proportion of students enrolling full time in public two-year institutions increased slightly and four-year institutions saw virtually no change.
The four-year private sector maintained its market share more effectively than was predicted.
Each region of the country experienced distinct enrollment patterns.
Persistence rates (continued enrollment with any U.S. institution) fell as the cohort size surged, particularly in community colleges

The “Completing College: A National View of Student Attainment Rates – Fall 2008 Cohort” found that the entering student population was 12 percent larger than the one in fall 2007 (approximately 2.7 million and 2.4 million, respectively). There was a 20 percent increase in the number of older students (over age 20) and a larger share of those enrolled less than full time (1.5 percentage points more than in fall 2007). In addition, the share of students enrolled in community colleges and four-year private for-profit institutions increased one percentage point each.

Completion rates fell as cohort sizes grew. The overall national six-year completion rate for the fall 2008 cohort was 55.0 percent, a decrease from the 56.1 percent completion rate for the fall 2007 cohort. Most of the decline occurred in the rate at which students graduated from their starting institution (42.1 percent for fall 2008 vs. 43.0 percent for fall 2007). There was almost no change in the rate at which students transferred and completed at a different institution. Other key stats include:

Some student populations experienced larger declines in their attainment rates, while others remained the same or actually increased.
Nontraditional age students saw the largest decline. The completion rate fell 2.6 percentage points for those who entered college at age 21 through 24, and 1.4 percentage points for adult learners over 24.
Traditional-age students experienced a 0.5 percent decline, attributable mostly to a small shift away from full-time enrollment
Completion rates held steady for traditional-age students who enrolled exclusively full-time, and increased slightly, by 0.3 percentage points, for those who combined full-time and part-time enrollments
The total completion rate for students who started in two-year public institutions declined 0.7 percentage points (39.1 percent for fall 2008 vs 39.8 percent for fall 2007)
There was a larger decline in the transfer pathway from two-year to four-year colleges: 16.2 percent of the students who started at community colleges went on to graduate from four-year schools, compared to 17.2 percent of the fall 2007 cohort
The completion rate for those who started in four-year private nonprofit institutions increased 0.7 percentage points. However, this group’s share of the total cohort for fall 2008 was 1.2 percentage points smaller than for fall 2007

About the National Student Clearinghouse^® Research Center™

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center is the research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse. The Research Center collaborates with higher education institutions, states, school districts, high schools, and educational organizations as part of a national effort to better inform education leaders and policymakers. Through accurate longitudinal data outcomes reporting, the Research Center enables better educational policy decisions leading to improved student outcomes.

The Research Center currently collects data from more than 3,600 postsecondary institutions, which represent 97 percent of the nation’s postsecondary enrollments in degree-granting institutions, as of 2018. Clearinghouse data track enrollments nationally and are not limited by institutional and state boundaries. To learn more, visit https://nscresearchcenter.org.

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Overall College Completion Rate Rises in 43 States; Top-to-Bottom Gap Narrows

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Overall College Completion Rate Rises in 43 States; Top-to-Bottom Gap Narrows

California, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Utah Make Significant Improvements

HERNDON, VA – (MARCH 2, 2020) – New data described in the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s Completing College State Report shows a rise in the overall college completion rate in 43 out of the 45 states, for which data are available over the last five cohort years (2009-2013), and a narrowing of the top-to-bottom state completion rate gaps. Only Alabama and New Hampshire saw declines. To review state-by-state details, download the report’s appendix.

When indexed to the highest completion rate of all states (set at 100), for the 2013 cohort, 25 states were at least at the 80 percent level of the top rate, in comparison to only 13 states for the 2009 cohort. The index score demonstrates a comparison of each state against the top-performing state.

The national six-year completion rate reached 59.7% for the 2013 entering cohort, and the eight-year completion rate increased to 61.8% for the 2011 entering cohort, according to the Completing College 2019 National Report.

“Most states saw steady, across-the-board gains in overall completion rates and completion rate disparities among states narrowed, while nearly every state trended upward,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director, National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “Compared to the prior cohort year, community college starters made stronger gains this year than public four-year starters, and some states increased completion outcomes for racial/ethnic minorities at higher rates than overall.”

The states with the largest increases in completion rates over the last five cohort years include:

Ohio (53% to 62%), Georgia (52% to 61%), Michigan (51% to 60%), New York (58% to 66%), California (45% to 53%), Utah (41% to 51%), Iowa (60% to 69%), Nevada (29% to 38%), North Carolina (54% to 62%).

While public college completion rates are up generally, public two-year starters appear to be gaining more ground.

Between the 2012 and 2013 cohorts, the completion rate for public two-year starters increased three percentage points or more in eight states including Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Washington, and Wyoming. The greatest increase was four percentage points in Oklahoma (34% to 38%) and Mississippi (46% to 50%). In comparison, only three states have made similar gains for public four-year starters: Nevada, New Mexico, and Ohio.

Two states improved both Hispanic and African American completion rates at higher rates than overall.

North Carolina and Texas saw both the Hispanic and the African American student completion rates rise at higher rates than overall, based on change over the last cohort year.

North Carolina made a four-percentage point gain in the Hispanic completion rate, to 77%, and a two percentage-point increase in the African American completion rate, to 63%. Hispanic and African American students constitute 27% of the fall 2013 beginning cohort in the state.

Texas increased nearly three percentage points in completion rate for each student group, to 49% for African Americans and 59% for Hispanics. Hispanics and African Americans combined consist of 46% of the fall 2013 beginning students in Texas.

Other states show notable one-year gains for African Americans or Hispanics:

Florida is up two percentage points to 53% for Hispanics; and for African Americans, Massachusetts is up two percentage point to 66% and New Jersey is up three percentage points to 66%.

However, New York decreased almost three percentage points in Asian and African American completion rates over the last year (to 70% and 51%, respectively), and Pennsylvania dropped four percentage points to 62% for Hispanics.

First-time beginning students at community colleges are becoming younger.

Eight states had more than a three-percentage point increase in the share of traditional-age students (age 20 or younger at entry) between the 2012 and 2013 beginning cohorts (Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, and Kansas).

New Hampshire (69% to 74%) and Arizona (66% to 70%) had the largest share increases. These two states also saw large decreases in the share of adult students age 25 or over (22% to 18% in Arizona; 17% to 14% in New Hampshire). However, for public four-year starters, the share of traditional-age students grew by three percentage points in only two states, Maryland (67% to 73%) and Oregon (81% to 88%).

“With better tracking and disaggregation of data increasingly available to state educational leaders and policy makers through the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, efforts to improve student success can become more focused,” Shapiro concludes.

In the fall, the Research Center will publish a combined national and state Completing College 2020 report.

About the National Student Clearinghouse^® Research Center™

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center is the research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse. The Research Center collaborates with higher education institutions, states, school districts, high schools, and educational organizations as part of a national effort to better inform education leaders and policymakers. Through accurate longitudinal data outcomes reporting, the Research Center enables better educational policy decisions leading to improved student outcomes. To learn more, visit https://nscresearchcenter.org.

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