Nearly 76% of Fall 2021 Freshman Class Returned to College by Fall 2022

  1. NEWS HOME
  2. »
  3. Press Releases
  4. »
  5. Page 3

Nearly 76% of Fall 2021 Freshman Class Returned to College by Fall 2022

This Persistence Rate Represents a Return to Pre-Pandemic Levels

HERNDON, VA – (JULY 27, 2023) – Of the 2.4 million students who entered college for the first time in the fall of 2021, 75.7 percent persisted at any U.S. institution by fall 2022, according to a new report released today from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. This persistence rate is 0.9 percentage points above the previous cohort and matches the pre-pandemic average for the 2016 to 2018 freshman classes.

The 2023 Persistence and Retention report found that 67.2 percent of fall 2021 entering students were retained at their starting institution for their second year or earned a credential at that institution within a year of enrollment, a rate 0.5 percentage points above the pre-pandemic average. An additional 8.6 percent transferred out and continued enrollment at another institution by their second fall. This transfer-out rate was essentially flat compared to the previous cohort, meaning that gains in persistence among fall 2021 college starters were driven by the higher share remaining at their starting institution into their second year.

“It is very encouraging to see that the students who entered college in the second year of the pandemic have stayed enrolled at higher rates,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director of the Research Center. “The 0.9 pp recovery from the suppressed persistence level of those who started in fall 2020 means nearly 22,000 more students are still in college today.”

Not all institution sectors saw persistence and retention improvements. While community colleges, as well as public and private nonprofit four-year institutions, saw increases in both persistence and retention rates this year, private for-profit four-year colleges and primarily associate degree-granting baccalaureate (PAB) institutions experienced declines. This marks the second consecutive year that community colleges saw gains, approaching levels of persistence and retention not seen since the 2018 entering class. Nonetheless, the community college freshman class continued to shrink in fall 2021 while freshman enrollment recovered to pre-pandemic levels in other sectors.

As more people sought short-term, skilled trade credentials in fall 2021, the share of certificate seekers who earned a credential in their first year or persisted into their second fall increased across the top skilled trade majors by enrollment—mechanic and repair technologies, precision production, construction trades, and personal and culinary services. Health care majors’ persistence and retention rates improved at all credential levels, but enrollment in these majors was flat among bachelor’s degree seekers and declined among other undergraduates. Computer science, which witnessed double-digit enrollment growth, has also seen increases in persistence and retention among freshmen at all credential levels.

Nationally, retention rates increased regardless of enrollment intensity, while persistence increased only for full-time students and held steady for part-time students. Public two-year institutions were the only sector to experience increases in both full-time and part-time persistence. Both persistence and retention rates declined for part-time students at public and private for-profit four-year institutions, as well as at PABs.

Disparities by race and ethnicity remain large, with a 26-percentage point persistence rate gap between the highest (88.4% for Asian students) and the lowest (62.1% for Native American students). Of note, Native American student persistence and retention increased after sharp decreases last year. Latinx persistence and retention increased in all sectors except for PABs.

Gender-related disparities were stable at the national level compared to last year’s cohort: Persistence and retention rates for female students are nearly 3 percentage points higher than those of their male peers. However, the magnitude of this gender disparity differs by sector. Public four-year institutions have the smallest gender disparity in both persistence and retention, while private for-profit four-year institutions have the largest.

In terms of age, persistence and retention rates held steady or increased this year for starters 20 years old or younger, leading to a 1.4-percentage point increase in both rates nationally for this group. In contrast, rates for older students fell. Those 21 to 24 lost roughly one percentage point, driven by marked declines in persistence and retention at public and private nonprofit four-year institutions that nearly erased last year’s gains. Those 25 and older experienced larger declines in both rates regardless of sector.

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. This year’s report includes a new data dashboard to enable viewers to analyze, visualize, and interact with the longitudinal data, which are also available for download.

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.

###

National Student Clearinghouse and AstrumU Launch Service to Translate Transcripts to Data Accurately in Minutes

  1. NEWS HOME
  2. »
  3. Press Releases
  4. »
  5. Page 3

National Student Clearinghouse and AstrumU Launch Service to Translate Transcripts to Data Accurately in Minutes

Service Has Potential to Ease Education-to-Career Paths as Greater Emphasis is Placed on Skills and Credentials

HERNDON, VA, and SEATTLE, WA – (JUNE 15, 2023) – In a move to create efficiency, transparency, and opportunity for learners, the National Student Clearinghouse and AstrumU have launched PDF-to-Data, a machine-learning service that has demonstrated over 99% accuracy translating PDF transcripts into an industry-standard data format to enable automated ingestion. The resulting data will be used to optimize processes related to admissions, transfer credit, and financial aid.

“PDF-to-Data solves the longstanding problem of critical information trapped in a ‘digital paper’ format, like transcripts, that prevents easy access and sharing, and also paves the way for a second goal we share with the Clearinghouse: improving institutions’ and learners’ ability to stay ahead of our societal shift toward a competency-based marketplace,” said Adam Wray, CEO AstrumU. “Further, the easier we make the ‘process’ side of education and employment, the more time students and job seekers can spend on securing the right credentials and employers on more quickly identifying top candidates.”

Moving beyond decades-old OCR tools to leverage the latest machine-learning technology, PDF-to-Data seamlessly delivers PESC XML or TS130 EDI standard data files to an institution’s Clearinghouse account within minutes after a PDF transcript is received. The patented parsing engine models each sender’s transcript template and converts them while maintaining all critical relationships between data points in the output. The resulting transcript data files can be uploaded directly to existing CRM or student information systems without manual intervention, thereby reducing potential errors and allowing resources to be dedicated to more intensive needs. All of this is provided through a SaaS model thereby eliminating any hardware or software requirements for schools to manage transcript conversion.

“This PDF-to-Data transcript solution is a natural extension of the services and information we’ve long provided institutions and learners,” said Chris Goodson, Chief Growth Officer, National Student Clearinghouse. “PDF-to-Data will simplify a crucial step in the existing process and help build a foundation for new ways to manage and maximize an education-to-career pathway that increasingly accounts for skills, certificates, and non-degree credentials.”

National Student Clearinghouse President and CEO Rick Torres will speak on related issues at this year’s AstrumU Forum for Education & Enterprise (Washington DC, July 13) where his panel will cover “Rethinking the College to Career Pipeline.”

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. Besides working with nearly 3,600 postsecondary institutions, the Clearinghouse also provides thousands of high schools and districts with continuing collegiate enrollment, progression, and completion statistics on their alumni. Education partners throughout the nation trust the National Student Clearinghouse because they know we take our commitment to student privacy very seriously. We focus on serving our customers with high-quality services that they expect from us. The Clearinghouse is scrupulous in its concern for student privacy and compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which protects students’ privacy rights in their education records. For more details, visit studentclearinghouse.org.

About AstrumU

AstrumU® translates educational experiences into economic opportunity. We are on a mission to quantify the return on education investment for learners, education providers, and employers. We help institutions measure the value created for incoming and returning students, while assisting them in securing industry partnerships that lead students seamlessly into high-demand career pathways. Institutions partner with AstrumU® to drive enrollment and increase alumni and corporate engagement, while extending economic mobility opportunities inclusively to all learners.

###

National Student Clearinghouse Partners with N2N Services to Provide Real-time Transcript Integration to Customers

  1. NEWS HOME
  2. »
  3. Press Releases
  4. »
  5. Page 3

National Student Clearinghouse Partners with N2N Services to Provide Real-time Transcript Integration to Customers

The Partnership Will Simplify Integration Strategies and Allow the National Student Clearinghouse to Expand the Number of Supported Platforms

HERNDON, VA – (JUNE 1, 2023) – N2N Services, Inc., a leading platform provider for integrating higher education systems, announced a strategic partnership with the National Student Clearinghouse today. Through this partnership, the National Student Clearinghouse will open its transcript ordering applications to N2N’s turnkey cloud integration platform, Illuminate, to provide real-time integration options to its higher education customers.

The exciting new partnership between N2N Services and the National Student Clearinghouse will simplify the level of effort for institutions to implement the Clearinghouse’s Transcript Ordering service. After working together for over a year, N2N and the Clearinghouse have built a real-time transcript ordering and delivery solution that enables users of N2N’s Illuminate platform to easily integrate into the Clearinghouse’s Transcript Ordering service, reduce their administrative burden and delight their students with faster processing. N2N and the Clearinghouse are now seeking an exclusive small group of interested institutions, which are already active on the Illuminate platform, to be an early participant in the program to onboard early and influence the future of the integration service.

N2N’s Illuminate enables partners to deliver integration solutions quickly and easily. Through N2N’s platform, higher education customers can connect their ERP systems, including Ellucian™, Peoplesoft®, Workday™, and Jenzabar®, to Clearinghouse Transcript Ordering applications for real-time integration or data syncing. More information on Clearinghouse transcript services can be found at transcriptservices.org.

“The National Student Clearinghouse continues to respond to the needs of our school clients for efficiency and simplicity in implementing advanced solutions. This partnership with N2N will help greatly ease and simplify the implementation of our industry-leading transcript solution,” said Rick Torres, CEO and President of the National Student Clearinghouse.

“N2N is pleased to partner with the National Student Clearinghouse to enable real-time data integration. We’re confident that National Student Clearinghouse’s application integration, enabled by N2N’s platform, will provide the real-time and interactive solutions needed to enhance institutional efficiencies and support comprehensive student success,” explained Kiran Kodithala, CEO and founder of N2N Services Inc. “N2N is committed to collaborations, such as with the National Student Clearinghouse, which have a direct impact on student services and institutional effectiveness.”

Higher education institutions can request to connect with their National Student Clearinghouse rep regarding Clearinghouse transcript services at studentclearinghouse.org/contact.

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. Besides working with nearly 3,600 postsecondary institutions, the Clearinghouse also provides thousands of high schools and districts with continuing collegiate enrollment, progression, and completion statistics on their alumni. Education partners throughout the nation trust the National Student Clearinghouse because they know we take our commitment to student privacy very seriously. We focus on serving our customers with high-quality services that they expect from us. The Clearinghouse is scrupulous in its concern for student privacy and compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which protects students’ privacy rights in their education records. For more details, visit studentclearinghouse.org.

About N2N

N2N Services Inc. is a leader in enterprise application and data integration. N2N’s Illuminate platform is a cloud-based SaaS platform providing standards-based, turnkey integration enabling organizations to plug in new SaaS applications in a matter of minutes to meet strategic goals. The Illuminate integration platform is used by more than 200 academic institutions (providing student services to over 1 million students) and enables institutions to meet strategic objectives. N2N Services Inc. is based in Atlanta, GA. Learn more about N2N Services Inc. and the Illuminate platform by visiting https://n2nservices.com/.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

National Student Clearinghouse
Email: media@studentclearinghouse.org

N2N Services, Inc.
Danielle Whitney
E-mail: danielle.whitney@n2nservices.com
Phone: 888-651-3309×23

Trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners.

###

Community College Enrollment Grew This Spring Over One Year Ago, Due to Younger Students

  1. NEWS HOME
  2. »
  3. Press Releases
  4. »
  5. Page 3

Community College Enrollment Grew This Spring Over One Year Ago, Due to Younger Students

Total Postsecondary Enrollment Remains Well Below Pre-Pandemic Levels

HERNDON, VA – (MAY 24, 2023) – Community college enrollment grew slightly this spring (up 0.5% or 22,000 students from spring 2022), after large declines in the previous two years, due to a growing number of younger students, according to a new report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

A growing number of younger students, primarily dual-enrolled high school students, and freshmen, contributed to the uptick in community college enrollment. Undergraduate enrollment at public and private nonprofit four-year institutions are still declining, but at slower rates (-0.5% and -0.2%, respectively).

After pandemic-driven declines began to level off last fall, overall undergraduate enrollment remained stable for the spring term (-0.2% or -25,000 students). In comparison, graduate-level enrollment is faring more poorly (-2.2% or -68,000 students from spring 2022), eroding pandemic-associated gains. Total postsecondary enrollment remains well below pre-pandemic levels, down about 1.09 million students overall and about 1.16 million undergraduates alone, compared to spring 2020.

“Despite encouraging signs of recovery among younger students at community colleges, overall undergraduate enrollment is still well below pre-pandemic levels, especially among degree-seeking students,” said Doug Shapiro, executive director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “With the pandemic now behind us, a new set of factors appears to be preventing students from returning to campuses. And these new factors are having a stronger effect on students who are seeking bachelor’s degrees than on associate-seekers.”

Freshman enrollment grew 9.2 percent from spring 2022, building on a similar increase reported last year, though it’s important to note that percentage increases in spring freshmen are based on a far smaller scale than in fall. Community colleges accounted for the majority of spring freshmen (53.9%) and had the largest increases of any sector (+12.4%), leading to a spring 2023 community college freshman class 7.0 percent larger than the spring 2020 levels.

Undergraduate-level students are shifting the types of credentials they pursue, with enrollments in bachelor’s degree programs falling more steeply than associate degree programs (-1.4% or -114,000 students versus -0.4% or -15,000 students) and other sub-baccalaureate credentials showing enrollment growth (+4.8% or +104,000 students; see Table 2). Graduate-level enrollment drops are almost entirely due to losses in master’s programs (-57,000 students).

Other highlights include:

  • Continuing the trend from fall 2022, younger students are driving community college enrollment growth, specifically an 8.0 percent increase in dual-enrolled high school students (+49,000 students under age 18) and a 1.1 percent increase in 18- to 24-year-old enrollment (+24,000; see Table 4).
  • Over the longer term, the median age of a community college student has dropped by more than a year since 2019 (down 1.2 years from 20.7 to 19.5 for men and 1.3 years from 20.4 to 19.1 for women; see Table 6), with enrollment under age 18 growing by 13.6 percent and each of the two older age groups declining much more steeply (-22.5% for age 18-24; -25.7% for age over 24).
  • Female enrollment declined by 1.2 percent (-118,000 students), while male enrollment grew slightly (+0.4% or +25,000 students; see Table 7). The latest gender results extend the trend of an improved enrollment outlook for men relative to women, first seen in the second pandemic year (fall 2021), particularly at community colleges where male enrollment increased by 2.7 percent this spring (+45,000 students).
  • Nearly all states follow the national trend, with slowing declines, stabilization, or growth over last spring. Both multi-state institutions and primarily online institutions, which are not included in individual states, regained the enrollments they lost last year, returning to spring 2021 levels (see Table 8a).
  • Computer science undergraduate programs at four-year institutions reached their highest growth rate in three years (+11.6% or +62,000 students) in spring 2023. At two-year institutions, computer science enrollments are now above pre-pandemic levels, reversing three years of flat or declining numbers (+9.7% or +20,000 students). Healthcare and education program enrollments continued to fall across two- and four-year institutions alike (see Tables 9 and 10).

The Current Term Enrollment Estimates report series is published every January and May by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. It provides national enrollment estimates by degree level, institutional sector, enrollment intensity, age group, gender, and major field, as well as state-level enrollment estimates. Starting in fall 2020, state-level enrollment data are also shown by institution sector. Enrollment estimates are adjusted for Clearinghouse data coverage rates by institutional sector, state, and year. This differs from the Stay Informed report series which is designed to quantify the effects of COVID-19 by analyzing year-over-year percent change in unadjusted, preliminary data for fixed panels of institutions that reported data in the same month each year across all comparison years. The estimated enrollment numbers presented in the CTEE report may, therefore, differ from the results of the Stay Informed reports due to the methodology and institution coverage.

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.

###

The National Student Clearinghouse Announces David G. Payne as New Vice President of Learner Insights

  1. NEWS HOME
  2. »
  3. Press Releases
  4. »
  5. Page 3

The National Student Clearinghouse Announces David G. Payne as New Vice President of Learner Insights

HERNDON, VA – (MAY 18, 2023) – The National Student Clearinghouse announced today that David G. Payne will join as the new Vice President of Learner Insights. David’s responsibility will be to drive the organization’s unification and growth of several products and services into one vertical business division, Learner Insights. In this industry-facing role, David will be responsible for the strategic future growth of division products and services, including the acquisition of new and improved products and services.

“We welcome David as part of the Clearinghouse’s strategic leadership team,” said Rick Torres, President and CEO of the National Student Clearinghouse. “David is a dynamic, collaborative, and visionary leader with deep knowledge of the higher education and employment markets. He will help us achieve growth and innovation with our product offerings by viewing and positioning them through a strong customer lens and ensuring that – through the learner insights we provide – we remain focused on our mission.”

“As a first-generation college student, I understand the transformative power of education,” said David Payne. I am excited to bring my experience as a research-active faculty member, administrator, and educational assessment business leader to this new role. I look forward to working with my team, the Clearinghouse’s Board of Directors, and the Research Center Board of Directors to provide strategic direction for the organization, deepen client satisfaction, and drive innovation in the education sector.”

Before joining the National Student Clearinghouse, David served as Senior Strategic Advisor, Solutions at JFF Labs, Jobs for the Future. Prior to that position, he spent several years at Educational Testing Services (ETS), where he served in various roles, from Associate Vice President to Global Higher Education Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He also served as Chairman of ETS Global B.V. and ETS International Holdings Limited.

David was a professor, the Psychology Department Chair, Vice Provost, and Graduate Dean at Binghamton University – SUNY in Binghamton, New York. He has a Ph.D. in Psychology from Purdue University. In addition, he holds a Master of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science, Psychology, both from State University of New York College at Cortland.

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. Besides working with nearly 3,600 postsecondary institutions, the Clearinghouse also provides thousands of high schools and districts with continuing collegiate enrollment, progression, and completion statistics on their alumni. Education partners throughout the nation trust the National Student Clearinghouse because they know we take our commitment to student privacy very seriously. We focus on serving our customers with high-quality services that they expect from us. The Clearinghouse is scrupulous in its concern for student privacy and compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which protects students’ privacy rights in their education records. For more details, visit studentclearinghouse.org.

###

The National Student Clearinghouse Announces Christopher Goodson as Chief Growth Officer

  1. NEWS HOME
  2. »
  3. Press Releases
  4. »
  5. Page 3

The National Student Clearinghouse Announces Christopher Goodson as Chief Growth Officer

HERNDON, VA – (MAY 16, 2023) – The National Student Clearinghouse announced today that Chris Goodson will serve as its Chief Growth Officer (CGO) to oversee the organization’s continued expansion, particularly as it broadens its footprint in the workforce development and skills training areas.

“We are so pleased to welcome Chris to the Clearinghouse leadership team. He is a transformational business leader with a passion for education and a track record of success over more than two decades working across education verticals,” said Rick Torres, President and CEO of the National Student Clearinghouse. “His leadership of cross-functional teams in dynamic and evolving markets to meet customer and client needs and his ability to foster collaborative cultures will be invaluable to the Clearinghouse.”

Chris’ role as CGO will be to oversee a broad array of products and services. With a laser focus on the customer, he will be tasked with implementing new and improved product and service strategies to drive innovation. He will be responsible for all K-12 and higher education product development, business development and sales, marketing and communications, analytics and insights, and customer experience. He will also serve as one of the organization’s spokespersons.

“Like so many of its educational partners, I have relied on the National Student Clearinghouse’s unmatched data reporting, services, and insights throughout my career,” said Chris. “The Clearinghouse’s singular combination of longitudinal student data and deep relationships with education, workforce, and government partners has allowed the Clearinghouse to develop new, customer-aligned solutions to meet the needs of an ever-changing education landscape. I am thrilled and honored to join the Clearinghouse as it continues to grow and expand its services to benefit students, families, and its stakeholder community.”

Before joining the National Student Clearinghouse, Chris held several leadership positions in education technology and business solutions. Most recently, he was with Lumen Learning as Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Customer Experience. Prior to Lumen, he spent six years at Amazon Web Services (AWS), assisting U.S. Higher Education customers transform their environments with cloud services. At HMH, he served first as a Senior Vice President for Corporate Affairs and Social Responsibility and later Education Services, and during eight years at Microsoft, Chris held leadership roles in the U.S. and Worldwide Public Sector, focused primarily on Education. Chris has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

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. Besides working with nearly 3,600 postsecondary institutions, the Clearinghouse also provides thousands of high schools and districts with continuing collegiate enrollment, progression, and completion statistics on their alumni. Education partners throughout the nation trust the National Student Clearinghouse because they know we take our commitment to student privacy very seriously. We focus on serving our customers with high-quality services that they expect from us. The Clearinghouse is scrupulous in its concern for student privacy and compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which protects students’ privacy rights in their education records. For more details, visit studentclearinghouse.org.

###

Subscribe to get the latest news from the Clearinghouse