DataPoints: Leaving money on the table Nearly one in five (17%) students enrolled in public community colleges did not apply for any federal student aid and would likely have been eligible for a Pell Grant, according to an analysis of data from the 2019-20 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study. During the 2019-20 academic year, 61% of […]
DataPoints: Trends in awarded credentials
Community colleges awarded more than 1.45 million credentials in the 2022-23 academic year, representing a 21% increase from the 1.19 million awarded 10 years earlier in 2012-13. The total number of credentials awarded was highest during the 2018-19 academic year and started to decline during 2019-20, likely due to the Covid pandemic’s effect on the […]
DataPoints: State funding for higher education
Total state support for higher education increased by 4.3% for fiscal year 2025, based on data recently released by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) in its annual Grapevine report. However, after adjusting for the effects of inflation, the increase was a more modest 1.3%. The level of support from FY 2019 (prior to the pandemic) to […]
DataPoints: Updated ROI of credentials
Institutions that predominantly offer associate degrees or certificates often have a higher return on investment (ROI) after 10 years than institutions that predominantly offer bachelor’s degrees. However, over 40 years, the value of bachelor’s degrees typically outpaces those of institutions that predominantly offer associate degrees and certificates. (See graph, below.) The findings come from the […]
DataPoints: Pell grants disbursements
The U.S. Education Department (ED) disbursed $31.47 billion in Pell grants to 6.53 million students in the 2023-24 academic year, based on preliminary year-end data. This represents a significant increase from the prior year, when $27.2 billion were awarded to 6.17 million students. The increase in dollars disbursed is due to a combination of factors. First, […]
DataPoints: Post-Covid grad, success rates
Community college completion rates and overall success rates (completion or transfer or still enrolled at the same institution) showed an increase in data recently released by the National Center of Education Statistics (NCES). The data represent the rate of first-time, full-time students who began their education at a public, non-baccalaureate degree-granting community college. Graduation (completion) includes students […]
DataPoints: Part-time students in community colleges (Part 2)
Students enrolled in suburban institutions in the 2022-23 academic year were most likely to have started as part-time students (74%), while students in institutions located in towns were least likely to have begun their enrollment part-time. This is the second of two DataPoints that describe part-time student enrollments in community colleges, as reported in various […]
DataPoints: Part-time students in community colleges (Part 1)
More than two-thirds of students enrolled in public community colleges in fall 2022 were enrolled less than full-time. This is the first of two DataPoints that describe part-time student enrollments in community colleges, as reported in various sources. In this DataPoints, the enrollment trends for fall and full-year enrollment are highlighted. The second DataPoints will […]
DataPoints: Distribution of federal student aid
In 2023-24, 30% of Pell Grant funding went to public two-year college students, compared to 38% of public four-year students, according to a new annual report from the College Board. The two-year sector also received a smaller percentage of funding than public four-year institutions for other federal student aid programs, including Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity […]
DataPoints: Job growth over the next decade
A new federal report projecting employment over the next decade shows that healthcare and social assistance is expected to have the largest growth and be the fastest-growing industry sector between 2023 and 2033. Employment growth in the field — anticipated to be 1% annually over the period — will be driven by an aging population and more […]