College Completion Rates Edge Upward

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College Completion Rates Edge Upward

Six-Year Completion Rates Reach 61.1 Percent, the Highest Rate of the 12 Years Tracked

HERNDON, VA – (DECEMBER 4, 2024) – After several years of stalled progress in the national college completion rates, there are promising signs of improvement in the percentage of college students who are earning credentials within a six-year period, according to a report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

The Yearly Progress and Completion report found that, most notably, 61.1 percent of the learners who began college in the fall of 2018, the most recent cohort tracked, earned a credential within six years. This is the highest six-year completion rate of the 12 cohorts tracked for this report.

“Higher completion rates are welcome news for colleges and universities still struggling to regain enrollment levels from before the pandemic,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “Even as fewer students are starting college this fall, more of those who started back in 2018 have stayed enrolled through to the finish.”

The six-year college completion rate edged upward this year (+0.5 pp). The improvement is due to a decrease in the share of students stopping out (-0.4 pp; 30.2%) and was mainly driven by more students completing college in the public 2-year sector (+1.2 pp; 43.4%).

This is the first report in the annual Yearly Progress and Completion series, a new report series containing elements previously published in the Yearly Success and Progress and Completing College reports. This report reflects data quality and methodology enhancements that enable the Clearinghouse to leverage more of its longitudinal data to accurately identify and evaluate first-time in college individuals. This report re-states the historical trend for the six- and eight-year college completion rates nationally and by state by tracking the enrollment and completion outcomes starting with the fall 2007 cohort of beginning college students.

Highlights of the report include:

Eight-Year Completion Rate Trends: The eight-year completion rate for the cohort starting in fall 2016 reached 64.7 percent, also the highest of the cohorts tracked. This increase is due to improvements in the six-year completion rate, as the share of additional completers in years seven and eight declined over time (-1.3 pp compared to the fall of 2007).
Impact of Enrollment Status: Full-time students from the fall 2018 cohort were significantly more likely to earn a degree, with 67.2 percent completing by year six and only 25.4 percent stopping out. In contrast, students who started attending part-time had a much higher stop-out rate (52.4%) and a much lower completion rate (33.7%) by year six.
State-Level Variations: Six-year completion rates for the fall 2018 cohort remained stagnant for most states, with only 10 states seeing improvements of one percentage point or more. Of the 50 states, Alaska continues to have the lowest completion rate (35.1%), while Rhode Island has the highest (72.2%)
Student-Level Characteristics: The six-year completion rate for students aged 25 or older declined compared to the previous cohort (-0.7 pp; 37.8%). At every income level, every year, students from more affluent neighborhoods had sharply higher completion rates than those from lower-income backgrounds.

About the National Student Clearinghouse^® Research Center™

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, 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 and Open Architects Partner to Enable Visibility Into Postsecondary Performance

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National Student Clearinghouse and Open Architects Partner to Enable Visibility Into Postsecondary Performance

Open Architects’ Integration of StudentTracker^® Allows District and School Leaders to Explore Trends, Increase College Completion Rates, and Analyze Program Impact

HERNDON, VA – (NOVEMBER 19, 2024) – The National Student Clearinghouse and Open Architects (OA) today announced a partnership that has enabled the Clearinghouse’s StudentTracker^® for High Schools service to be integrated with Open Architects’ analytics platform. This integration by Open Architects, a leading provider of custom-built data visualization tools for K-12 schools, provides high school counselors and administrators with real-time visibility to support and analyze postsecondary success.

Open Architects’ analytics platform integrates data from student information, assessment, behavior, and special education systems into intuitively designed dashboards and data tools that allow educators to find insights and take action. Open Architects offers turnkey service and affordable licensing so that any district – regardless of size or technical staffing – can benefit from the latest technologies that seamlessly integrate student, finance, and HR data. With this new integration, insights from StudentTracker^® for High Schools extend visibility longitudinally into students’ progress after graduation and degree completion, as well as the factors during high school that correlate with postsecondary success.

“District and school leaders don’t have time to search disparate data systems with dated information when they need to address student performance, attendance, and application needs now,” said Seth Racine, CEO and co-founder of Open Architects. “This partnership with the National Student Clearinghouse will enhance our analytics platform to provide new insights into postsecondary success.”

Said Marlowe Johnson, Managing Director of Learner Insights at the National Student Clearinghouse, “We are excited about the potential of the partnership with Open Architects to deepen connections between secondary and postsecondary institutions in ways that can benefit students academically and financially.”

The StudentTracker^® integration with National Student Clearinghouse is now available for all of Open Architects’ high school and school district customers, empowering them to harness the full potential of their student data and drive impactful outcomes. For more information about this integration or to schedule a demo, contact Open Architects.

About Open Architects

Massachusetts-based Open Architects (OA) provides custom-built data visualization tools to give school and district leaders the information they need to find insights and take action. OA’s analytics platform seamlessly integrates student, finance, and HR data. OA’s dashboards and reporting tools offer real-time insights into student performance, resource allocation, and operational efficiency. OA is dedicated to helping districts achieve their goals through the power of data and currently serves over 200 district partners. Learn more at www.openarchitectsk12.com.

About the National Student Clearinghouse^®

The National Student Clearinghouse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization 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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Undergraduate Enrollment Showing Signs of Second Straight Year of Growth

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Undergraduate Enrollment Showing Signs of Second Straight Year of Growth

Despite Overall Growth, Early Data Indicates Freshmen Enrollment Declining 5% This Fall

HERNDON, VA – (OCTOBER 23, 2024) – Enrollment in undergraduate programs is up 3% in early reporting this fall compared to similar early data from fall 2023, indicating a second straight year of undergraduate enrollment growth, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s latest report.

Despite the overall undergraduate growth, the  Stay Informed report (with the latest enrollment information) for fall 2024 shows that freshman enrollment is declining, down 5% in this preliminary data from the same time last fall, with public and private nonprofit four-year institutions seeing the largest declines (-8.5% and -6.5%). An almost 6% drop in the number of 18-year-old freshmen (a proxy for those enrolling immediately after high school graduation) accounts for most of the decline.

Growth in undergraduate enrollment is therefore being driven by increases in non-freshman students and dual enrolled high school students (undergraduates 17 years old and younger). Both bachelor’s (+1.9%) and associate degree (+4.3%) programs are seeing enrollment gains this fall. Graduate programs are also seeing enrollment gains (+2.1%) for a preliminary estimate of 2.9% annual growth for total postsecondary enrollment this fall.

“It is startling to see such a substantial drop in freshmen, the first decline since the start of the pandemic in 2020 when they plunged nearly 10%,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “But the gains among students either continuing from last year or returning from prior stop outs are keeping overall undergraduate numbers growing, especially at community colleges, and that’s at least some good news for students and schools alike.”

The declines in freshman enrollment are most significant at four-year colleges that serve low-income students. At four-year colleges where high shares of the undergraduate population receive Pell Grants, these preliminary data show freshman enrollment declining by more than 10%. At comparable community colleges, freshman enrollment is rising (+1.2%). 

Undergraduate and graduate enrollments for Hispanic, Black, Asian, and Multiracial students are seeing strong growth this fall. Undergraduate White students, on the other hand, continue to see enrollment declines (-0.6%). 

Other key findings in the report:

The number of students pursuing shorter-term credentials is continuing to grow rapidly, with enrollment in undergraduate certificate programs increasing by 7.3%.

Traditional-aged undergraduate students from neighborhoods of all income levels are seeing enrollment increases. However, freshman enrollment is showing the reverse trend, declining across all neighborhood income levels, with those from middle-income neighborhoods (lower-middle, middle, and upper-middle quintiles) seeing the largest drops at public and private nonprofit four-year institutions.

Freshman enrollment is declining among students of all races and ethnicities, with notable losses among White (-11.4%), Black (-6.1%), and Multiracial (-6.6%) first-time students. Declines for Hispanic and Asian freshmen are relatively muted (-1.4% and -2.8%; Figure 4.1). 
Community colleges (public two-year and primarily associate-degree granting baccalaureate institutions combined) are experiencing smaller freshman enrollment declines (-0.4%). First-time enrollment at these institutions is bolstered by part-time starters (+3.4%), while enrollment of full-time starters is declining (-2.7%; Figure 4.3). In contrast, in fall 2023, full-time freshman enrollment had increased by 3.4% at these community colleges.

About the Stay Informed Report Series

The Stay Informed series was created to help educational leaders and policymakers understand the impact of the COVID19 pandemic on postsecondary enrollments. The report’s dashboards continue to be updated within the first two months of every fall term to provide preliminary but timely enrollment updates to the education community using the latest enrollment data available through the National Student Clearinghouse. The current report reflects 8.7 million enrollments reported as of September 26, 2024, by 51.9 percent of postsecondary institutions in the U.S. that are participating in the Clearinghouse. The estimates provided in this report are preliminary and subject to revision. The Current Term Enrollment Estimates report, released every January, provides final enrollment estimates for the fall term.

About the National Student Clearinghouse^® Research Center™

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, 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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More Students Enroll in College Within a Year of High School Graduation

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More Students Enroll in College Within a Year of High School Graduation

HERNDON, VA – (SEPTEMBER 12, 2024) – While the rate of 2023 high school graduates immediately enrolling in college remained flat from the previous year’s graduating class across most high school characteristics, the rate of 2022 high school graduates enrolling within a year of their graduation increased from the previous year, according to the 2024 High School Benchmarks report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

College enrollments within a year of graduation for the 2022 class increased as much as 3.2 percentage points (pp) across nearly all high school characteristics — those defined by incomes, race/ethnicity, or locale — compared with college enrollments the previous year.

“The improving persistence rate is an optimistic sign for high school graduates who are choosing to enroll in college,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, “Large and widening gaps for low-income students continue to be a cause for concern, however, throughout the postsecondary journey.”

Other findings include:

Persistence: The rates of high school graduates remaining in college for their second year increased across all high school characteristics by at least a percentage point between the 2020 and 2021 high school graduating classes. Graduates of high schools with higher shares of Black and Hispanic students saw a higher rise in rates of persistence (+2.9 pp) compared to graduates of low minority high schools.

College completion rates: Postsecondary completion rates of high school graduates either remained stagnant or fell across nearly all high school characteristics. The largest increase in overall completion is for students from high poverty schools (+0.6 pp to 25.1 percent). Other than for students from low poverty high schools, all completion rates remain below 50 percent (59.4% for low poverty schools, 25.1% to 48.9% across other high school characteristics).

The 12th annual High School Benchmarks report provides the most current data on high school graduates’ postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion outcomes. These data serve as the most relevant benchmarks for monitoring and evaluating progress in assisting students in making the transition from high school to college and earning a credential in a timely manner.

About the National Student Clearinghouse^® Research Center™

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, 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 President and CEO Rick Torres to Retire in February 2025

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National Student Clearinghouse President and CEO Rick Torres to Retire in February 2025

Under Torres’ leadership, Clearinghouse experienced unprecedented growth, now serving nearly 3,600 higher education institutions and nearly 25,000 K-12 schools

HERNDON, VA – (August 23, 2024) – Rick Torres, the longtime President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Student Clearinghouse, announced today he will retire in February 2025 after nearly two decades leading the nonprofit organization. Under Torres’ leadership, the Clearinghouse experienced unprecedented growth, transforming into a cornerstone of the higher education community.

“Rick has shown unwavering support for the Clearinghouse’s mission in transforming the education and workforce communities with trusted data,” said Dr. Debra Chromy, Chair of the Board of Directors. “Under Rick’s leadership, the Clearinghouse has become a backbone of the higher education community—helping nearly every college and university support learner success.”

Since assuming the role of president and CEO in 2008, Torres has overseen the Clearinghouse’s expansion to serve nearly 3,600 higher education institutions, nearly 25,000 K-12 schools, and 43 states. The organization now processes more than 12 billion transactions annually and 11 billion research records, saving the education community hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

Among Torres’ accomplishments, he established in 2010 the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, the organization’s widely cited research arm that informs practitioners and policymakers about student educational pathways.

“My 17 years leading the Clearinghouse have fulfilled a deep desire to contribute to the education community,” Torres shared. “Extending the Clearinghouse’s mission to serve thousands of K-20 institutions and helping to inform the education narrative has truly been the highlight of my career.”

Torres’ tenure was marked by significant growth, including a 20x increase in education-serving transactions and a 12% compound annual revenue growth rate. The Clearinghouse is now focused on enriching its data offerings with non-degree credentials and other outcome measures, while also modernizing its data platform.

“By incorporating non-degree credentials and additional outcome data, and by upgrading our data platform, the Clearinghouse is poised to enrich its data resources,” said Torres. “With a mission-driven and experienced executive team in place, I am confident the Clearinghouse will maintain its commitment to serving the education and workforce communities well beyond my retirement.”

Torres holds an undergraduate degree from Manhattan College and an MBA in international finance from Georgetown University. He serves on the Brightpoint Community College Foundation, Achieving the Dream, and Intermediary ED (Formerly ACT) boards and is a founding member of the Groningen Declaration Network Group, an international consortium dedicated to developing a trusted international data exchange ecosystem.

The Clearinghouse is committed to a smooth and well-planned transition that ensures continued success; it has retained executive search firm Korn Ferry as it searches for its next CEO.

Dr. Chromy concludes, “Rick has positioned the Clearinghouse for continued success, and we look forward to more of his vital input over the next six months during the transition process.”

About the National Student Clearinghouse^®

The National Student Clearinghouse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization 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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The National Student Clearinghouse Announces Andrew Siclari as Chief Financial Officer

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The National Student Clearinghouse Announces Andrew Siclari as Chief Financial Officer

HERNDON, VA – (JULY 22, 2024) – The National Student Clearinghouse announced today that Andrew Siclari will serve as Chief Financial Officer, overseeing all aspects of the financial affairs of the Clearinghouse, including banking, investment programs, and financial management. Siclari will serve as a core member of the executive team reporting directly to the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Clearinghouse, Rick Torres.

“We are fortunate to welcome someone with Andrew’s depth and breadth of experience to our leadership team,” Torres said. “The Clearinghouse is in the midst of a digital transformation designed to better serve the education, workforce, and learner communities well into the future. Andrew has the right combination of deep business acumen and high EQ that will be great complements to the Clearinghouse leadership team.”

“It’s a privilege to join the mission-driven team leading the National Student Clearinghouse in its work to provide valuable insights to educators, learners, and employers and to continuously improve outcomes,” Siclari said. “I’m honored to have the opportunity to bring my broad experience and lifelong passion for learning to drive growth and improvement to those who rely on our trusted data and support services.”

As CFO, Siclari will oversee the organization’s daily finance, accounting, and risk management practices. He will also support the president/CEO and core executive team on investment decisions, potential mergers and acquisitions, and strategic plans.

Before joining the Clearinghouse, Siclari was founder and principal consultant of Pivotal Business Services, a professional consulting and advisory services practice that provides strategic planning, process improvement, market analysis, and insights to potential mergers and acquisitions, along with financial and operational expertise to educational providers, investors, and learning and development companies.

He previously served as Chief Financial & Operations Adviser at the University of Massachusetts’ UMass Online and UMass Global, with financial and operational oversight for the university system’s $300 million in annual online revenue. Siclari also previously spent more than two decades at Pearson Education, including as senior vice president and chief business officer for North America Courseware, with accountability for $1.3 billion in annual revenue.

Since March 2023, Siclari has served as an adjunct professor at George Washington University in its College of Professional Studies. He has a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Seton Hall University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration & Accounting from Saint Francis University.

About the National Student Clearinghouse^®

The National Student Clearinghouse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization 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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