More Than 39 million Americans Have Some College, No Credential, According to New Research

  1. NEWS HOME
  2. »
  3. Press Releases
  4. »
  5. Page 8

More Than 39 million Americans Have Some College, No Credential, According to New Research

California, Texas, New York, and Illinois Combined Produce More Than a Third of These Students

HERNDON, VA – (MAY 10, 2022) – More than 39 million Americans have some college, but no credential, according to a new report released today by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The “some college, no credential (SCNC)” population is up 3.1 million from nearly 36 million previously reported in 2019.

California, Texas, New York, and Illinois combined account for more than a third of the nation’s SCNC individuals. Arizona encountered the steepest net increase with more than 86,400 SCNC students. Only Nebraska and Connecticut did not experience any net growth in SCNC learners out of all the states.

According to the report, “Some College, No Credential Student Outcomes Annual Progress Report – Academic Year 2020/21,” despite the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 944,000 Americans aged 18 to 64 with some college, no credential re-enrolled during the academic year 2020/21, and more than 60,000 earned their first-ever postsecondary credential, including more than 18,000 bachelor’s degrees. Furthermore, 61.1% of those who re-enrolled in 2019/20 either persevered into the second year or attained a credential within a year of re-enrolling.

“These outcomes indicate the scale of opportunity that the SCNC population represents for efforts to raise the level of postsecondary education attainment in the U.S.,” said Doug Shapiro, executive director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “Moreover, at a time when most colleges are still reeling from historic enrollment declines during the pandemic, the continued health of higher education institutions, and their ability to meet the needs of future students, may depend on their success at re-engaging SCNC learners.”

Low student success rates are widespread in American higher education. More than 25% of college freshmen do not return for their second year, including 41% of those who started at a community college, according to the Research Center in 2021. The nation’s six-year completion rate is 62.2%, as of January 2022.

Other “Some College, No Credential” report specifics include:

  • Black, Latinx, and Native American learners are over-represented among the SCNC population, relative to their shares of currently enrolled undergraduate students.
  • 48 states and D.C. experienced a net growth of SCNC student numbers. Arizona encountered the steepest net increase with more than 86,400 students or 15%.
  • Although California, Texas, New York, and Illinois account for more than a third of the nation’s SCNC students, Alaska shows the largest number of SCNC students per 1,000 currently enrolled undergraduates.
  • Only two states, Nebraska and Connecticut, did not experience growth, a net decrease of 250 SCNC students or -0.1%, and a decline of 1,200 SCNC learners or -0.3%, respectively.
  • SCNC students who stopped out of multi-state institutions or primarily online institutions showed the second fastest rate of net growth and increase of more than 315,000 or 13.7%. (These are not included in individual state counts; see more information about these institutions in the report’s methodology.)
  • During the academic year 2020/21, 944,200 SCNC students re-enrolled and 60,400 earned their first-ever postsecondary credential. An additional 531,700 students were still enrolled after re-enrolling the previous year. These outcomes reference SCNC students aged 18 to 64.
  • About 62% of the 944,200 students changed institutions upon re-enrolling, and 67% of those students who did change institutions also commonly crossed institution sectors. Re-enrolling in a community college after last attending a community college was the most common pathway for SCNC re-enrollees, 363,400 students or 38.5%.
  • 70% of the 60,400 completers obtained their credential from a public institution, either two- or four-year. Private, nonprofit four-year institutions had the highest perseverance rates, 64.8%, while community colleges had the lowest, 50.2%.
  • Women outnumbered men in re-enrollment, credential earning, and perseverance. The share of re-enrollees among minority women was substantially higher than men: 63.5% versus 34.6%.
  • Associate degrees were the most common credential earned by Latinx students, 42.5%. Black students were most likely to have completed a certificate, 42.7%.
  • Asian and White students persevered at rates higher than other groups (61.2% and 57.6%, respectively compared to Latinx (55.0%), Black (51.4%), and Native American (51.1%) students).
  • SCNC students’ success and progress outcomes are available for all 50 states and D.C. in the data dashboard and data appendices.

In October 2019, the United States saw nearly 1 million former students, in just five years, return to postsecondary education and earn their first undergraduate credential, according to the report, “Some College, No Degree: A 2019 Snapshot for the Nation and 50 States.” In the report, the Research Center identified 36 million adults who had some postsecondary experience but had yet to earn any type of credential and were no longer enrolled. In 2014, the Research Center released the first report in this series.

The “Some College, No Credential” report series, with support from Lumina Foundation, seeks to understand the educational trajectories of millions of U.S. adults who left postsecondary education without receiving a postsecondary credential and are no longer enrolled. As the third in a series, the SCNC report quantifies the SCNC population growth over time and identifies the levels of opportunity within each state for re-engaging SCNC students in the postsecondary attainment pipeline.

The SCNC report introduces three new metrics for tracking progress among SCNC students annually:

  • “Re-Enrollment” after a stop-out
  • Completion of “First Credential”
  • “Perseverance” as indicated by continuous enrollment beyond first re-enrollment.

The Research Center provides these outcomes both for the nation and by state, with details on student subgroups categorized by gender, age, 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.

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 2019. Clearinghouse data track enrollments nationally and are not limited by institutional and state boundaries. To learn more, visit https://nscresearchcenter.org.

Media contact: media@studentclearinghouse.org

###

 

Overall Transfer Enrollment Drops Nearly 7%; Total Two-Year Decline of 16% Since Spring 2020

  1. NEWS HOME
  2. »
  3. Press Releases
  4. »
  5. Page 8

Overall Transfer Enrollment Drops Nearly 7%; Total Two-Year Decline of 16% Since Spring 2020

In Major Shift, Upward Transfers Suffer 11.6% Decline This Spring

HERNDON, VA – (MAY 3, 2022) – The latest COVID-19: Transfer, Mobility, and Progress report, shows that in spring 2022, undergraduate transfer enrollment dropped another 6.9% over last year, resulting in a total two-year decline of 16% since the beginning of the pandemic. Non-transfer enrollment also continued a downward trend, but the one-year declines were not as steep as among transfer students  (-3.8% for non-transfer students).

Most notable this spring are steep declines in upward transfer enrollment—most likely a ripple effect of pandemic-related sharp enrollment drops at community colleges, impacting freshmen, continuing, and returning students alike. After remaining stable last year, the number of students moving from a two-year to a four-year institution dropped 11.6%, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center report.

“This constriction of a key path to bachelor’s degree attainment is very concerning,” said Doug Shapiro, executive director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “Lower-income students seeking more affordable degree options are being squeezed out.”

All student groups declined in upward transfer enrollment, irrespective of age, gender, and race/ethnicity. The declines also affected all four-year colleges, regardless of selectivity level.

As a consequence, student groups have reversed the progress they made last year:

  • -13.1% vs. +3.0% last spring for women;
  • -7.2% vs. +4.5% last spring for students ages 18-20;
  • -12.4% vs. +2.5% last spring for 30 or older;
  • -11.1% vs. +3.1% last spring for Asian; and
  • -10.2% vs. +3.2% last spring for Latinx.

Continued declines in every major racial and ethnic category throughout the pandemic resulted in a total two-year decline of 15 to 20% (-19.4% for White, -18.6% for Native American, -17.1% for Asian,    -16.3% for Black, and -15.6% for Latinx).

Upward transfer enrollment declined 12.5% at highly selective colleges this spring, completely erasing last year’s gain (+3.7%) (see Figures 3, 4, 7 and 8).

The only transfer pathway that showed growth this spring was four-year lateral transfer, growing 5% to partly recover the 8.8% drop last year. The gains were limited to transfers into very competitive, competitive, and less selective institutions, while the highly selective colleges declined (+4.7%, +7.2%, +5.0%, and -4.1%, respectively). This pathway also increased last fall.

Two-year lateral and reverse transfer enrollments both continued to decline this spring, although at a slower pace (-11.1% vs. -13.8% last spring for two-year lateral transfer; -4.4% vs. -17.1% last spring for reverse transfer). Both cross-state and in-state transfers also fell, by 8.4% and 3.4%, respectively (see Figures 3, 4, and 6).

Continuing transfers fell at public and private nonprofit four-years (-5.4% and -9.7%, respectively) and community colleges (-4.7%). Private for-profit four-years however, experienced growth of 7.8% in continuing transfer enrollment, recovering partially from last year’s steep declines (-9.9%). Returning transfer enrollment also followed a declining path across all large institutional sectors this spring, with steeper drops seen among private nonprofit four-year and community college students (-9.5% and -11.4%, respectively) (see Figure 2).

The report’s findings are based on year-over-year changes within a fixed panel of institutions that represent 89.4% of the Clearinghouse universe of institutions and 11.2 million undergraduate students (including 632,000 transfer students) reported as of March 24, 2022.

The COVID-19 Transfer, Mobility, and Progress Report series, with support from Ascendium Education Group and ECMC Foundation, identifies changes in student transfer pathways that are attributable to the pandemic by using historical data as the baseline and the Clearinghouse’s current enrollment data.

By providing the most up-to-date information about student transfer available online for free, the Research Center enables schools, institutions, organizations, and policymakers to better adapt and serve students, particularly those from the most vulnerable populations, during the pandemic and beyond.

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 2020. Clearinghouse data track enrollments nationally and are not limited by institutional and state boundaries. To learn more, visit https://nscresearchcenter.org.

###

National Student Clearinghouse and College Guidance Network Form Strategic Alliance to Support College Counseling and Career Guidance

  1. NEWS HOME
  2. »
  3. Press Releases
  4. »
  5. Page 8

National Student Clearinghouse and College Guidance Network Form Strategic Alliance to Support College Counseling and Career Guidance

New partnership enables National Student Clearinghouse to offer high schools access to expert advice in the college selection and post-secondary process

LEXINGTON, MA and HERNDON, VA – (APRIL 4, 2022) – Superintendents, high school principals, and school counselors need better resources and support as they guide students, and their families through the high school to post-secondary transition.

The National Student Clearinghouse and College Guidance Network (CGN) have formed a partnership to support high schools by offering CGN School, the first curated college and career content platform that provides a comprehensive, trusted resource of expert information to students and their families.

The American School Counselor Association and the National Association for College Admission Counseling recommend a student-to-counselor ratio of 250:1. In the 2018-19 academic year, the national average ratio was 430:1 — nearly double the recommended ratio. Recognizing that the college and career counseling community continues to be stretched as they take on added tasks at their schools with fewer resources, and that much online information is inaccurate and/or not helpful, CGN developed the first platform of its kind.

Superintendents and high school principals are under pressure to meet the increasing needs and demands of families whose children are going through this process. Navigating the post-secondary transition can be daunting and has changed significantly in the past several years.

“Our vision at College Guidance Network is to deliver a resource that facilitates the role of counselors so they can focus on helping their students with this life transition. They can be confident that CGN has established a high standard for quality information from leading experts in their industries. We enable school counselors to share that knowledge through curated video content, templates, and other tools,” says Jon Carson, CEO, College Guidance Network.

”The National Student Clearinghouse has a long history of providing cost-effective services, like StudentTracker for High Schools, DiplomaVerify, and educational research, to help thousands of U.S. high schools and districts improve college readiness and success,” said Rick Torres, President and CEO, National Student Clearinghouse. “CGN School and our partnership with CGN is one more example of our work to empower schools and districts across the nation to support their staff to help students further their postsecondary education for a lifetime of learning and benefit.”

“It’s the programmatic nature of CGN School that I appreciate. It helps students and their families with a step-by-step approach to a complicated process. Every high school should have CGN School,” said Andrew Wulf, Principal at Newburyport High School, Newburyport MA.

About 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. For more details, visit StudentClearinghouse.org.

About College Guidance Network

College Guidance Network is a digital content company with a mission of providing access to experts for everyone. The company is focused on supporting school counselors with a state-of-the-art, content platform that includes year-round, live programming, a comprehensive video and podcast library of curated playlists featuring national experts, and counselor support.

Media contacts:

College Guidance Network: Bob Block, bob@collegeguidancenetwork.com
National Student Clearinghouse: media@studentclearinghouse.org.

###

 

National Student Clearinghouse, iDatafy Partner to Build Certified Comprehensive Learner Record Solution on the SmartResume Certified Talent Platform

  1. NEWS HOME
  2. »
  3. Press Releases
  4. »
  5. Page 8

National Student Clearinghouse, iDatafy Partner to Build Certified Comprehensive Learner Record Solution on the SmartResume Certified Talent Platform

The partners will make it easy for learners to create certified SmartResumes while also helping to connect employers with diverse job talent in a new way

ATLANTA, GA – (FEBRUARY 28, 2022) – iDatafy, an industry leader in education technology, and the National Student Clearinghouse announced a partnership today that will make it easy for learners throughout the nation to create Comprehensive Learner Records on the SmartResume platform, while also connecting employers with diverse job talent in a new way.

Through this partnership, learners using the Clearinghouse’s Myhub digital wallet will be able to connect their credentials to iDatafy’s SmartResume, IMS Global certified, Comprehensive Learner Record solution. The Myhub platform, which is FERPA compliant, provides an educational digital wallet containing verified academic credentials that empowers learners with a single, secure location to curate all achievements from a variety of sources.

The SmartResume service will be free for the Clearinghouse’s education partners and learners to utilize. Employers will typically pay a fee to connect, recruit and hire certified job talent on the platform. Students nationwide whose college or university sign up to participate with the Clearinghouse can use this service. US-based learners may access their personal SmartResumes through the Myhub platform.

“SmartResume is both the world’s first certified resume issuing platform and employer-to-job talent matching engine combined in one,” says Ian Davidson, Chief Growth Officer of iDatafy. “By partnering with the National Student Clearinghouse, we can scale the value provided by SmartResume to education institutions, job seekers and employers on a national level. We could not ask for a more trusted partner to do so.”

“We are excited to provide learners throughout the nation another way to control and showcase their skills, abilities, and accomplishments in their comprehensive learner record and to provide our employer partners with a new way to discover certified job talent at the front end of the recruitment process, said Pepe Carreras, Vice President of Education Solutions, National Student Clearinghouse. “This new service is one more way the National Student Clearinghouse serves the education and workforce communities and all learners with access to trusted data, related services, and insights.”

Executives from iDatafy and the Clearinghouse will share details about the partnership on Tuesday, March 1, at 2:30 pm ET at the IMS Global Digital Credentials Conference in Atlanta, GA.

About iDatafy LLC

iDatafy®, founded in 2011, is a leading education technology company that has created the new SmartResume® certified talent platform. Trusted partners such as education institutions and workforce skill certifiers register academic achievements, leadership experience and certified workforce skills of their current and past student on our permissioned blockchain. The certifications are presented on customized SmartResumes that include links to the digital attestation by the trusted partners. The result is a resume that has been directly certified by a trusted institution and can now be used by the recipient to differentiate them when applying for a job. Employers now also have the ability to search for certified job talent in a way they were never able to do before. Both iDatafy® and SmartResume® are registered trademarks owned by iDatafy LLC. Visit SmartResume.com for more information.

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. For more details, visit StudentClearinghouse.org.

###

Community College and Alternative Pathways to the Workforce

  1. NEWS HOME
  2. »
  3. Press Releases
  4. »
  5. Page 8

Community College and Alternative Pathways to the Workforce

New York – (FEBRUARY 14, 2022) – Workcred has received a three-year grant from the ECMC Foundation, as part of a partnership with the League for Innovation in the Community College (the League) and the National Student Clearinghouse (the Clearinghouse), to offer community colleges an affordable, scalable approach to align degrees with industry needs. The partnership—and its focus on Certification+Degree (C+D) Pathways—will support the development of alternative pathways within the workforce through embedding industry-recognized certifications into community college coursework.

Workcred and its partners will support five community colleges to develop and implement C+D Pathways in IT, logistics, and/or health science programs in at least three different states, and establish a process for economical replication. In addition, the project team will develop a data-informed approach to guide C+D Pathway implementation and improvement. Ultimately, the collaboration will provide learners with opportunities to master occupationally relevant skills that lead to living wage jobs while they are on a pathway to an associate degree.

To accomplish the project objectives, Workcred, the League, and the Clearinghouse will also partner with a higher education accreditation body, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), to consider how C+D Pathways completion and attainment will be determined within the context of the accreditation process.

More on C+D Pathways

Did You Know?

C+D Pathways, which involve embedding industry credentials into degree programs, is a common practice at community colleges, as these pathways are aligned with both student goals and industry needs. Furthermore, they better position students in their field and help to build a pipeline of prepared workers for employers.

To that end, as C+D Pathways continue to be developed, Workcred strives to place more emphasis on effective pathway development and implementation, as well as the use of metrics to guide continuous improvement and ensure the pathways are increasing learner retention and degree completion, and leading to living wage employment.

Learn more about how C+D Pathways have the potential to benefit all learners as a broadly applicable, scalable approach to aligning degrees in any academic discipline with industry-relevant competencies, as explained in Workcred’s editorial, Increasing Value Through Certification and Degree Pathways, published in The evolllution.

See also Certification-Degree Pathways: Aligning Undergraduate Curriculum to Industry Credentials and Professions.

The project also supports ECMC’s Career Readiness aim to develop scalable approaches to increase learner retention and degree completion across a diverse learner population. ECMC is a national foundation working to improve postsecondary outcomes for students from underserved backgrounds.

“We are thrilled to start this important and much-needed work thanks to this grant and collaboration, which supports our long-term goals in examining workforce issues impacting communities that experience inequities,” said Workcred executive director Roy Swift. “Workcred anticipates that the activities and tools developed through this project will lead to multiple sustainable C+D Pathways, inform new and existing C+D Pathways, and promote scaling of these pathways nationally.”

Rufus Glasper, president and CEO of the League, said, “We are committed to strengthening the credentials and the pathways which our students and communities seek to live a better life. This project identifies and expands on solutions for students and their families that are sustainable, scalable, and transformative.”

“This framework will build upon previous work by Workcred and the National Student Clearinghouse to link higher education institution enrollment data, industry credential data, and wage data,” said Rick Torres, president and CEO, National Student Clearinghouse. “The results of this grant will show how institutions can observe their learners from enrollment all the way into their careers, and better understand the value of industry credentials and degrees in that journey. This is an important step in helping institutions tell the most holistic story possible of their outcomes of their work.”

Barbara Gellman-Danley, HLC president, reinforced the value of this work. “HLC is very excited to be part of this initiative. The credential marketplace is growing exponentially, and clear pathways to the associate degree – and quality assurance of those pathways – are critical to both the students and the workforce.”

About Workcred

Formed in 2014 as an affiliate of the American National Standards Institute, Workcred’s mission is to strengthen workforce quality by improving the credentialing system, ensuring its ongoing relevance, and preparing employers, workers, educators, and governments to use it effectively. Learn more about it on the Workcred site. To better understand and navigate the credentialing system, visit Workcred’s Publications and Events page and view the video, An Introduction to Workcred.

About ANSI

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance both the global competitiveness of U.S. business and the U.S. quality of life by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems, and safeguarding their integrity. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies, and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations.

The Institute represents and serves the diverse interests of more than 270,000 companies and organizations and 30 million professionals worldwide. ANSI is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). For more information, visit www.ansi.org.

About the League for Innovation in the Community College

The League for Innovation in the Community College is an international nonprofit organization with a mission to cultivate innovation in the community college environment. The League hosts conferences and institutes, develops print and digital resources, and leads projects and initiatives with almost 400 member colleges, strategic partners, and a host of other government and nonprofit agencies in a continuing effort to advance the community college field and make a positive difference for students and communities. Information about the League and its activities is available at www.league.org.

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. For more details, visit www.studentclearinghouse.org.

About the Higher Learning Commission

The Higher Learning Commission accredits approximately 1,000 colleges and universities in the United States. HLC is a private, nonprofit accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. Contact info@hlcommission.org for more information.

National Six-Year Completion Rate Reaches 62.2 %

  1. NEWS HOME
  2. »
  3. Press Releases
  4. »
  5. Page 8

National Six-Year Completion Rate Reaches 62.2 %

Of All Sectors, Community College Starters See Largest Increase in Completion Rates

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. The Research Center analyzes the data from Title IV eligible degree-granting postsecondary institutions that represent 97 percent of the nation’s postsecondary enrollment as of fall 2021. Clearinghouse data track enrollments nationally and are not limited by institutional and state boundaries. To learn more, visit nscresearchcenter.org.

###

 

Subscribe to get the latest news from the Clearinghouse