There were 37.6 million working-age adults in the U.S. with some college credits but no credential at the start of the 2023-24 academic year, a 2.2% increase from the prior year, according to a new report this week from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
The “Some College No Credential” (SCNC) population has increased in all 50 states over the past three years. In New Jersey there are now 757,282 adults under age 65 who attended college, university or vocational school but left before earning a degree or certificate. The Clearinghouse defines a SCNC as someone who has been unenrolled for at least three terms.
In a positive sign, the report also found that the national re-enrollment rate of SCNC adults increased 2.7% in the 2023-2024 school year. In New Jersey, 17,412 SCNC adults, who had temporarily left their post-secondary studies, went back to school for a re-enrollment rate of 2.5%. This represented a 7.4% increase from the 2022-2023 re-enrollment rate in New Jersey.
This positive trend was seen in most states. Nationwide, more than 1 million “stopped-out students” re-enrolled in the 2023-2024 academic year. Stopped-out students are defined as students who temporarily leave post-secondary education with the full intention of returning.
Most states and the District of Columbia saw a year-over-year uptick in stopped-out student re-enrollment ranging from a 0.7% increase in Washington, D.C to a 35.2% jump in Massachusetts, the Clearinghouse said. Eight states saw year-over-year declines in re-enrollment ranging from -0.2% in Wyoming and Louisiana to -13.8% in Oklahoma.
Nationwide, the share of re-enrollees earning a credential in their first year of re-enrollment ticked up to 4.7%. In New Jersey, the first-year credential earning rate for re-enrollees was 4.4%, which represents a 15.4% increase from the prior academic year.
Even though national college completion rates have reached a 12-year high, there are still large differences in completion rates based on factors such as enrollment intensity, institutional sector, and student demographics, the report said. Efforts to address the size of the SCNC population should begin before these students pause or leave their postsecondary studies.
The Clearinghouse said its research finds that re-engagement is most successfully accomplished with SCNC individuals with recent enrollment histories.
