The Number Of Undergraduates Earning College Degrees Increased Last Year, According To New Report

The number of undergraduates earning a college credential increased in academic year 2020–21, according to a new report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC).

Last year, a total of 3.7 million undergraduate students earned a credential – either a certificate, an Associate’s degree or a Bachelor’s degree – representing an increase of 1.1%, equal to about 39,000 students, over the prior year.

The growth was led by non-first-time graduates earning what are called “stacked credentials,” which are certificates or degrees that are earned as part of an educational sequence where a student adds or embeds a shorter term credential with another degree thereby boosting their overall degree attainment.

Stacked-credential earners increased by 3.9%, or about 37,800 students, the largest one-year growth since 2012 (+3.9%).

The number of students earning their first undergraduate credential was stable at 2.7 million, following what the report described as an “unusually large drop the year prior” (-0.9% or 25,400 fewer graduates).

Among the different credential types:

• Certificate earners continued t0 decrease (-2.6%, or 11,800 fewer students).
• The number of Associate’s degree earners bounced back (+0.3% or +2,500) following a major drop in the prior year (-3.7% or -28,000).
• Students earning baccalaureate degrees continued to increase (+0.7% or +10,600).
• The number of bachelor’s degree recipients who had earned a prior associate degree also increased, and accounted for 22.7% of new baccalaureates in 2020-21, up from a 20.6% share, just five years ago.

The number of traditional college-age students under 25 earning a first-time Associate’s degree declined by .2%, while traditional-age Bachelor’s degree recipients increased by .3%.

The number of first-time graduates who are 25 and older increased 1.4%, or 10,350 students, largely because of the growth of graduates in their 30s (+4.3%, +10,700). Nonetheless, the number of students 25 and older earning their first undergraduate credential are still below pre-pandemic levels.

Compared to eight years ago (academic year 2012-13), the total number of students awarded a certificate, Associate’s degree or Bachelor’s degree has increased by 7.7%, or 262,992 students, as of 2020-21. Most of that increase is accounted for by students with prior college credentials of some sort as opposed to those who are first-time credential earners.

The top five states in terms of students earning either an Associate’s or a Bachelor’s degree for the first time in 2020-21 were California, Texas, New York, Florida and Ohio.

Commenting on the report in a news release, Mikyung Ryu, director of research publications for the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, said, “The growth in overall undergraduate credential completers this year is two-sided news. The overall growth was led by stacked credential earners, but first-time graduates as a whole had no growth. This implies a growing dichotomy of the haves and have-nots in postsecondary attainment.”

About NSCRC

The NSCRC is the research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse. It collaborates with higher education institutions, states, school districts, high schools, and educational organizations to gather accurate longitudinal data that can be used to guide educational policy decisions.

NSCRC analyzes data from more than 3,600 postsecondary institutions, which represent 97% of the nation’s postsecondary enrollment in Title IV degree-granting institutions in the U.S., as of 2018.