부산대학교 도서관

Nearly all states in the United States (45) currently have a postsecondary attainment goal to improve the average education levels of their residents and develop a highly-educated workforce. During a time of accelerated COVID-19 related postsecondary enrollment declines, the question as to how states will meet these goals could be particularly pertinent. While the National Student Clearinghouse's latest enrollment report provides encouragement that these unusually large declines are stabilizing, it is still uncertain when and how higher education will be able to rebound. Re-engaging with the Some College, No Credential (SCNC) population--the former students who stopped out without earning a credential--has been a priority for the many states with these established attainment goals. To succeed in bringing them back into higher education, state and institutional leaders need accurate and timely information about the current SCNC population, their progress, and outcomes upon re-enrollment, which is the focus of this annual progress reporting of SCNC students. This year's report suggests that there is an increasingly missed opportunity for states and institutions to re-engage with SCNC students even as the SCNC population is growing. Between July 2020 and July 2021, the U.S. has added 1.4 million more SCNC students; the SCNC population is now 40.4 million, up 3.6 percent from 39.0 million a year earlier. However, during the latest academic year 2021/22, fewer SCNC students re-enrolled, completed a credential, or persevered to a second year of re-enrollment than they did the previous year. [For the third report in this series, see ED599535.]