This comprehensive report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center examines the profiles, educational pathways, and outcomes of individuals who have attended post-secondary education but have not earned a credential (termed as Some College, No Credential, or SCNC). It focuses on the potential of this population to return to education and complete their degrees, emphasizing the personal and societal benefits of increasing educational attainment among these individuals.
Main Takeaways:
- Growing SCNC Population: The number of SCNC students has grown to 39 million as of July 2020, representing an 8.6% increase since 2019. This growth occurred across nearly all states, indicating a broad national challenge.
- Re-Enrollment and Credential Earning: During the academic year 2020/21, about 944,200 SCNC students re-enrolled in postsecondary education, and 60,400 earned their first-ever postsecondary credential. These metrics suggest that targeted interventions can successfully re-engage this population.
- Educational Pathways: The majority of re-enrolled SCNC students initially attended community colleges, and upon re-enrollment, many continued at community colleges or switched to different institutions, often across sectors.
- Gender and Ethnic Disparities: Women significantly outnumber men in re-enrollment and credential earning. Racial and ethnic minority women re-enrolled at higher rates than their male counterparts.
- Impact of Institutional Type: Public institutions accounted for 70% of credentials earned by re-enrollees. Private non-profit four-year institutions exhibited the highest perseverance rates, whereas community colleges had the lowest.
- State and Regional Variability: There is significant variability in SCNC student profiles and success rates across states and regions, highlighting the importance of state-specific strategies to increase educational attainment.