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: Bipartisan support for CC baccalaureates
At a time when almost everything in the country seems to tilt either to the right or the left, community college baccalaureate (CCB) degrees are a notable exception. Twenty-four states now confer CCB degrees, according to the Community College Baccalaureate Association (CCBA) national inventory, with 12 states colored blue and 12 colored red. The map below […]
DataPoints: CC baccalaureates by race/ethnicity
Minority-serving institutions (MSIs) comprise half of the nation’s community colleges that offer bachelor’s degrees, according to recent research. Of the 187 higher education institutions approved to confer community college baccalaureates (CCB) in 2023, 94 were MSIs, and 93 were predominantly White institutions, says the report from the Community College Baccalaureate Association (CCBA) and its research partner Bragg & Associates. […]
DataPoints: What types of credentials do Black graduates earn?
We know about gaps in enrollment and graduation rates for Black students, but what about those who do finish? What types of credentials are they receiving compared to the graduating cohort as a whole? In 2022, public institutions in the “primarily associate” and “associate and certificate” categories awarded about 1.5 million credentials, according to an […]
DataPoints: Dyad baccalaureate completions
New transfer data from the U.S. Education Department (ED) illustrate that most community college students who transfer to a four-year institution don’t attain a baccalaureate even within an eight-year window. Only 13% of Title IV students who start at community colleges ultimately earn bachelor’s degrees within eight years, according to the data released during an ED transfer […]
DataPoints: Multiple goals
Community college students often have multiple goals. In fact, more than half (55%) of recent two-year college students had at least two goals, and one-third (33%) had three or more goals, according to recent findings by the Strada Education Foundation. Strada polled students who attended a community college within the past 10 years and are not currently […]
DataPoints: The growth of credentials
The number of credentials being offered continues to increase, surpassing 1 million (1,076,358, to be exact), according to a new report. That’s 10% more than the nonprofit Credential Engine counted last year. The swath of credentials includes degrees, certificates, diplomas, micro-credentials, badges, course completion certificates, licenses and apprenticeships and others. And the credentials are being offered […]
DataPoints: Associate attainment in Appalachia
Appalachia has a higher percentage of working-age adults with an associate degree but no bachelor’s degree than the national average, according to a new federal report that examines trends in the Appalachia region. In 2016-20, 10.2% of adults ages 25 to 64 in Appalachia had an associate degree but not a baccalaureate, compared to 9.3% nationally, shows […]
DataPoints: Student supports in recruiting, enrolling and retaining
Increasing enrollment (87%) and retention rates (78%) remain top-tier concerns for community college leaders, according to a new report based on a fall 2021 survey of two-year college officials. Increasing graduation rates (59%) was third, followed by reducing equity gaps (57%) and re-engaging lapsed students (52%). Seven in 10 survey participants said that holistic student support was […]