Rate of College Freshmen Who Returned for Their Second Year Is Highest in a Decade

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Rate of College Freshmen Who Returned for Their Second Year Is Highest in a Decade

Community Colleges Have Seen the Highest Gains in Retention Rates Over the Last Decade

HERNDON, VA – (JUNE 27, 2024) – More than 76% of students who started college in the fall of 2022 returned for their second year, according to a new report on college students’ persistence and retention rates from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

The 2024 Persistence and Retention report found that the persistence rate rose 0.8 percentage points to 76.5%, while the national retention rate rose one full percentage point to 68.2%. This marks the second straight year of improved persistence and retention, with each number higher than it has been in the last decade.

Persistence refers to returning to college at any institution for a second year, while retention captures return to the same institution.

“While there is still much room for further improvement, these findings are great news for students and institutions alike, and another sign that the struggles of students who enrolled during the pandemic are behind us,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “First-year persistence and retention are strong early indicators for students staying enrolled throughout their program of study and eventually completing college.”

Community colleges have seen the highest gains in retention rates over the last decade – rising 3.7 percentage points from 51.3% for those who started in the fall 2013 term to 55.0% for fall 2022 starters. Public 4-year institutions have also seen large gains in retention rates since 2013, with the fall 2022 entering cohort’s 78.0% retention rate standing 3.1 points higher than the rate for fall 2013 entering students.

Since 2018, public 4-year institutions have consistently surpassed their private nonprofit 4-year peers in retaining full-time students, with a 1.7 pp higher rate for the 2022 cohort (Public 4-year: 80.9%; Private nonprofit 4-year: 79.2%). Prior to 2017, the pattern was reversed with private nonprofit 4-year institutions retaining more full-time starters. Private nonprofit 4-year institutions were the only main institution sector to see persistence and retention rates decline for fall 2022 starters (-0.3pp for both rates).

Additional highlights of the report include: 

  • Both full-time and part-time starters in fall 2022 saw persistence rate gains of 0.9 pp and retention rate gains of over 1pp compared to starters the previous fall. Full-time starters had a persistence rate of 82.9% and a retention rate of 74.5%. The comparable numbers for part-time starters were 52.3% and 45.7%, respectively.
  • There were also larger differences in persistence and retention based on student age. Among fall 2022 starters 20 years or younger, the persistence rate was 80.9% and the retention rate was 71.9%. In comparison, the retention and persistence rates for students 21 through 24 and 25 and older did not exceed 50%.
  • Institutions retain Hispanic, Black, and Native American students at rates significantly below the national rate (63.6%, 56.6%, and 52.8%, respectively, compared to 68.2% nationally). Moreover, there was more muted growth in retention rates for Hispanic and Native American entering students in fall 2022 compared to gains nationally. Black college starters in fall 2022, however, saw retention rate increases on par with the growth in the national rate.
  • Persistence and retention rates increased for students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in all the top 10 most popular major fields, including Computer Science (persistence: 85.7%, +2.1pp; retention: 77.7%, +1.7pp) and Health (persistence: 87.9%, +1.1pp; retention: 77.1%, +1.4pp). Outside the top 10, starters in bachelor’s degree programs in Communications and Journalism saw more limited gains (persistence: 90.2%, +0.4pp; retention: 81.5%, +0.9pp), while both rates declined slightly for entering bachelor’s students in Mathematics and Statistics (persistence: 91.9%, -0.4pp; retention: 84.6%, -0.3pp).
  • Among starters pursuing undergraduate certificate programs, trade-related programs in Mechanic and Repair Technologies (57.5%), Precision Production (60.0%), and Construction Trades (61.5%), along with Computer Science (57.7%) and Business (56.3%) certificates, have some of the highest persistence rates among the ten most popular fields of study.
  • Most states saw stable or positive growth in persistence and retention rates. Students starting in North Carolina (78.8%, +3.4pp), Washington (72.9%, +3.0pp), and at Multi-State/Primarily Online institutions (49.2%, +4.9pp) made particularly large gains in persistence.

The Persistence and Retention report series examines first-year persistence and retention rates for first-time college students. This annual report helps institutions understand trends and disparities in this important early success indicator by institutional type, state, credential type, starting enrollment intensity, major, and student demographic characteristics such as age, gender, and race/ethnicity.

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 nscresearchcenter.org.

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National Student Clearinghouse Partners with National Nonprofit to Help Institutions Boost Their Student Success

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National Student Clearinghouse Partners with National Nonprofit to Help Institutions Boost Their Student Success

College Possible integrates StudentTracker® from the National Student Clearinghouse within its CoPilot student success platform to better support students

ST. PAUL, MN – (JUNE 18, 2024) – College Possible, a leading national nonprofit dedicated to connecting historically underserved high school students with near-peer coaching to help them access and succeed in college, today announced the integration of StudentTracker® for High Schools from the National Student Clearinghouse within CoPilot, its premier student success information platform. This integration marks a significant milestone in streamlining data management processes and empowering K-12 and higher ed institutions to better serve students across the country.

“This collaboration underscores our commitment to empowering partners with the best tools they need to improve student success in an efficient and systematic way,” said Derick Hutchinson, Senior Director at College Possible. “With this integration, we’re confident that institutions will be able to capture student needs more effectively, playing a crucial role in helping student success teams know when and how to intervene to obtain the best results.”

CoPilot offers institutions a 360-degree view of their students by giving them a clear understanding of their academic, financial and social well-being. Gathering visibility into students’ individual needs is imperative to improving postsecondary student success and outcomes such as retention and completion. With this new integration, insights from StudentTracker® for High Schools are incorporated into CoPilot within days, significantly reducing the manual process that previously took several weeks. This time-saving integration enables practitioners to efficiently analyze college enrollment and degree attainment, while leveraging the information as a catalyst for customizable interventions.

“Access to data and insights is absolutely essential for organizations working to advance student success. The integration of StudentTracker® for High Schools within CoPilot underscores the importance of trusted data to perceive the disparate opportunities and challenges that students face on their individual journeys to being successful,” said Marlowe Johnson, Managing Director of Learner Insights at the National Student Clearinghouse. “We recognize how hard students work to reach their dreams and how devoted the organizations are that support them. We will continue to provide the data and insights that are so key to measuring success.”

Moreover, the integration offers unparalleled consistency and reliability, significantly minimizing the risk of human error. This reliability ensures that institutions can confidently rely on the information provided by CoPilot without the fear of inaccuracies impacting outcomes.

StudentTracker® for High Schools integration is now fully available for all CoPilot partners, empowering them to harness the full potential of their student data and drive impactful outcomes. For more information about this groundbreaking integration or to set up a demo, visit https://getcopilot.org/.

About College Possible

As one of the largest and most successful college access and success programs in the country, since 2000 College Possible has helped put more than 80,000 students from disinvested communities on the path to economic mobility via completion of a college degree. Its proven near-peer coaching model, delivered by recent college graduates serving as AmeriCorps members, provides high-touch interventions proven to help students navigate and overcome the most common barriers to college access, retention, and degree completion. Nationwide, College Possible students are three times more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree within six years than their peers from similar backgrounds. Headquartered in Saint Paul, MN, College Possible operates: regional sites in Chicago, IL; Milwaukee, WI; Omaha, NE; Philadelphia, PA; Portland, OR; Seattle, WA;  and Austin, TX; and has Catalyze partnerships in California, Iowa, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, and Tennessee. Learn more at CollegePossible.org.

About the National Student Clearinghouse®

The National Student Clearinghouse, a nonprofit formed in 1993, is the trusted source for and the leading provider of higher education verifications and electronic education record exchanges. Besides working with nearly 3,600 postsecondary institutions in meeting their compliance needs, the Clearinghouse also provides thousands of high schools and districts with continuing collegiate enrollment, progression, and completion statistics on their alumni. For more details, visit  studentclearinghouse.org.

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More Than 36 Million Adults Under 65 Now Have Some College Experience but No Earned Credential

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More Than 36 Million Adults Under 65 Now Have Some College Experience but No Earned Credential

New Report Finds 2.9% Rise In the Number of Some College, No Credential Adults

HERNDON, VA – (JUNE 6, 2024) – The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reports that the number of Americans aged 18 to 64 who have some college experience, but no credential rose 2.9% between July 2021 and July 2022 and now stands at 36.8 million.

The Some College, No Credential Student Outcomes: Annual Progress Report released today finds that relatively few “some college, no credential” (SCNC) adults are re-engaging with higher education. More than 943,000 SCNC adults re-enrolled in the 2022-23 academic year. While this number indicates increasing re-enrollment (+78,300) compared to the previous year, it represents only 2.6% of the SCNC population. As a result, the majority of SCNC adults remain out of college with no degree or other postsecondary credential.

“It is encouraging to see an increase in the number of students re-enrolling this year, largely reversing the decline that we observed in last year’s report,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “Higher education regularly generates more students leaving school without a credential than returning to finish one, however, which is both a persistent challenge and a continuing opportunity for the system to improve and grow.”

Re-engaging those who stop out remains an ongoing challenge and a priority for the 40 states that have set ambitious postsecondary attainment goals. It will also help increase the national attainment rate, which currently stands at 54.3% for those 25 to 64 years old, according to Lumina Foundation’s A Stronger Nation initiative.

This report aims to provide timely insights into the SCNC population, offering state leaders and policymakers accurate data on their current status, along with tracking progress and outcome measures for SCNC students.

In addition to describing who makes up the SCNC population and how it has changed since the Research Center’s last SCNC report, this update pays particular attention to Recent Stopouts, who joined the SCNC population after stopping out between January 2021 and July 2022, and Potential Completers, who have recent histories of at least two years’ worth of full-time equivalent enrollment. The report also focuses on SCNC re-enrollment in the 2022-23 academic year, and first-year credential earning. It provides new updates on continued enrollment and second-year credentials earned by SCNC re-enrollees in the 2021-22 academic year, who were first reported on last year. Finally, it investigates the advantages of Potential Completers, with their longer enrollment histories prior to stopout, compared to the overall SCNC population.

Key highlights from the report:

  • The SCNC population under 65 stood at more than 36.8 million at the end of July 2022, an increase of 2.9% from the previous year.
  • Pandemic-related enrollment declines at community colleges led to fewer Recent Stopouts between January 2021 and July 2022 compared to the same period a year prior.
  • Declines in Recent Stopouts did little to impact the SCNC population, which increased in nearly all states.
  • The SCNC population continues to be less White and more male than the overall undergraduate population.
  • Recent Stopouts, however, continue to be younger and more female than the overall SCNC population.
  • SCNC student re-enrollment increased in the 2022-23 academic year (+9.1%).
  • Primarily online institutions (POIs) are an increasingly popular destination sector for students who switch schools at re-enrollment, although students re-enrolling at POIs have the lowest credential earning rate of all sectors after two years.
  • Men and Hispanic, Black, and Native American students are disproportionately represented among the overall SCNC population, while women and White and Asian re-enrollees are more likely to complete a credential in the first year or persevere into a second year of enrollment.
  • Potential Completer re-enrollees earn credentials at nearly twice the rate of their SCNC peers and earn more associate and bachelor’s degrees within two years.

To read the Some College, No Credential Student Outcomes: Annual Progress Report, visit https://nscresearchcenter.org/some-college-no-credential/.

This annual progress report was produced with support from Lumina Foundation.

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 nscresearchcenter.org.

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Postsecondary Enrollment Continues to Grow

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Postsecondary Enrollment Continues to Grow

While Not at Pre-Pandemic Levels, Growth Continues in All Institution Sectors, Credential Types and Many Demographic Categories

Note: There may be a delay in responding to media requests from May 23-27 due to a company offsite event and holiday closure until May 28.

HERNDON, VA – (MAY 22, 2024) – Undergraduate enrollment grew 2.5 percent in spring 2024 compared to the previous year (+359,000), according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

The Current Term Enrollment Estimates Spring 2024 Report shows that this is the second consecutive semester of year-over-year enrollment growth, continuing the trend from last fall’s 1.2 percent increase, following years of decline during the pandemic. Community colleges, though only accounting for a quarter of all postsecondary enrollment, drove almost half of this spring’s enrollment growth (+200,000, +4.7% over spring 2023).

Enrollment increased across the three largest undergraduate credential types. Associate degree program enrollment growth from last fall strengthened this spring, with 179,000 more students enrolled than at this time last year (+4.4%). Spring enrollment in bachelor’s programs turned a corner this year (+2.3%, +181,000) — rising for the first time after falling for the previous four spring terms, it is now also exceeding the fall 2023 growth rate. Undergraduate certificate programs continued building on years of growth (+3.6%, +35,000).

Graduate enrollment fared even better than undergraduate enrollment this spring (+3.0%, +88,000), reversing last year’s losses.

“Undergraduate enrollments are picking up steam,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “With year-over-year growth this spring at twice the rate of fall 2023, prospects may be looking up for struggling colleges. Growth is particularly promising for new freshmen entering community colleges during spring term.”

While these enrollment gains are optimistic signs for a potential recovery from pandemic losses, they remain well below pre-pandemic levels, with nearly 800,000 fewer students (-4.2%) overall and over 900,000 (-6.0%) fewer undergraduates, compared to spring 2020. Community college enrollment remains 12.4 percent below where it was in spring 2020, whereas public and private nonprofit 4-years have nearly recouped all losses (-0.7% and -1.0%, respectively).

Additional highlights of the report include:

  • Demographics: The number of dual enrolled high school students (17 and younger) grew for the third year in a row (+10.0%, +101,000), accounting for 28.1 percent of undergraduate enrollment increases. Students 21 and older at community colleges and public PABs grew for the first time since 2020 (+3.8% at public 2-years, +4.8% at PABs), while declines among public 4-year undergraduates 21 to 24 years old continued.
  • Freshmen: Spring first-time freshman enrollment increased 3.9 percent in spring 2024 over the previous year. This growth was strongest at community colleges (+6.2%, +14,000) and public PABs (+11.0%, +5,000), where two-thirds of all spring starters enroll.
  • Institutional Characteristics: Community college enrollment continued growing for the second year in a row among urban and suburban locales (+4.7%, +94,000 and +7.4%, +87,000 respectively).
  • States: Forty-four states saw total enrollment growth this spring, ranging from 0.8 percent (Vermont) to 6.1 percent (Georgia).
  • Field of Study: Undergraduate enrollment at four-year institutions increased for 15 of the top 20 major fields.
    • Computer and Information Sciences logged another year of high growth (+9.9%, +57,000 at four-year institutions).
    • Education program enrollment stabilized this year (-0.1%) following two years of steady declines at four-year institutions.
    • Undergraduate enrollment in Health Professions grew across all institution types this spring, marking the first increase for Health Professions enrollments in years.

The Current Term Enrollment Estimates (CTEE) series is published every January and May. It provides national enrollment estimates by credential type, institutional sector, enrollment intensity, age group, gender, major field as well as state-level enrollment estimates. For the complete CTEE Spring 2024 report, visit https://nscresearchcenter.org/current-term-enrollment-estimates/.

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 nscresearchcenter.org.

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The Number of Students Earning Undergraduate Degrees Fell for the Second Year in a Row

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The Number of Students Earning Undergraduate Degrees Fell for the Second Year in a Row

HERNDON, VA – (APRIL 11, 2024) – The number of students earning college degrees fell for the second year in a row, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

According to the report, Undergraduate Degree Earners, released Thursday, the total number of people earning any undergraduate credential (bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, and certificates) fell by 2.8 percent, or almost 100,000. This is the second consecutive year of declines after many years of gradual increases.

Despite the overall decrease in students completing degrees, more students earned a certificate this year than in any of the last 10 years. However, fewer students earned an associate degree this year than in any of the last 10 years, and bachelor’s earners declined to their lowest level since 2015-16.

“As expected, the enrollment declines of the pandemic years are now showing up in falling numbers of degree earners as well,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “Although shorter term certificates have picked up some of the slack, accelerating declines in associate and bachelor’s degree earners mean fewer new college graduates this year.”

The report also presents data on students who had previously earned a degree or certificate, and this year saw notable declines in the number of students with a prior credential earning a new one. This includes declines in the number of students with a certificate earning an associate degree (-2.5%), those with an associate degree earning a bachelor’s (-3.3%), and students with a prior bachelor’s or master’s degree earning an additional certificate (-3.7%).

There were increases in the number of students who had previously earned a certificate who went on to earn another certificate (1.7%) and who earned a subsequent bachelor’s degree (4.4%).

Additional highlights of the report include:

  • Race/Ethnicity: The number of total credential earners and first-time earners decreased across all race and ethnicity groups. First-time Hispanic and Multiracial completers declined for the first time after years of growth (Hispanic completers: -1.9%, -7,800; Multiracial completers: -1.9%, -1,900).
  • Gender: Women earning their first-ever certificate grew more than men this year (women: +6.2%, +14,000; men: +5.3%, +10,100); this is in contrast to last year when men’s growth outpaced women’s 4 to 1.
  • Age: The number of completers declined for all age groups except those age 20 and younger. Half of this year’s growth in first-time certificate earners is attributable to 18-20-year-olds (+11.3%, +13,900).
  • States and Regions: Declines in completers were widespread across regions, with limited pockets of growth.
  • Major Fields: First-time certificate earner growth built on last year’s gains in trade fields such as Mechanic and Repair Technologies (+7.6%), Precision Production (+11.3%), and Construction Trades (6.1%).

The Undergraduate Degree Earners Report provides a demographic and education credential profile for all students who graduate with an undergraduate-level credential, encompassing undergraduate certificates and associate and bachelor’s degrees. This report includes information about students who earned undergraduate credentials during the most recent academic year (2022-23), focusing on first-time completers versus those with a prior award. It also provides details about change over time in student demographics (gender, age, race/ethnicity), major field, and credentials attained (certificates, and associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees) since the 2013-14 academic year. The report presents trend data nationally, as well as by state and region. New this year, the report is presented as an interactive data dashboard. New variables for analysis include race/ethnicity and major field of students’ credentials. For the complete report, visit nscresearchcenter.org/undergraduate-degree-earners.

This report was created with the support of Lumina Foundation.

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 nscresearchcenter.org.

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