More Than 86% of College Freshmen Return for Their Second Semester

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2025

More Than 86% of College Freshmen Return for Their Second Semester

New Report Provides First Look at Students Returning and Transferring for Their Spring Semester

HERNDON, VA – (JUNE 26, 2025) – The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported today that over 86 percent of the college freshman class of 2023 returned for their second semester. This represents the second-highest persistence rate in the past nine years.

The 2025 Persistence and Retention report is the latest in a series that tracks the percentage of students that stay in college after their freshman year, and now, for the first time, includes data on the percentage of students that remain in college after their first semester.

The report also finds that 83.7 percent of students returned to their same institution for their second semester. The results indicate that 13.6 percent of 2023 freshmen were no longer enrolled by the spring term and 2.6 percent of students had transferred institutions by the spring.

“We’ve been focused on second fall persistence for years, but that’s too long to wait for many institutions, who seek earlier indicators of student success,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “Today’s report helps schools focus on supporting students who are at risk sooner. This is especially important for part-time students, older students and those who start at community colleges, where first spring persistence rates are lower.”

Persistence refers to continued enrollment in college, whether at the same or a different institution. The report now tracks this measure at two key points: first spring persistence (enrollment in the spring term immediately following the first fall) and second fall persistence (enrollment in the second fall term). Retention refers to the same milestones, but specifically captures continued enrollment at the student’s starting institution.

More college freshmen returning for a second year: The percentage of 2023 freshmen who returned for a second year of college – the second fall persistence rate for the 2023 cohort – is 77.6 percent, and the percentage of 2023 freshmen who returned to their same institution for the second year – the second fall retention rate – is 69.5 percent. These rates represent increases of 0.3 percentage points and 0.4 percentage points, respectively, from the previous year’s freshman class. Both metrics have now risen for four consecutive years, marking their highest levels in the past nine years.

Part-time students face substantial disadvantage: Among fall 2023 starters, first spring persistence was 67.4 percent for part-time students, compared to 92.1 percent for their full-time peers. Similarly, second fall persistence was 53.2 percent for part-time starters, versus 84.4 percent for full-time starters.

The magnitude of this gap varies significantly by institutional sector. The private for-profit 4-year sector reported the smallest differences in persistence rates between part-time and full-time students (7.8 percentage points in first spring persistence and 11.6 percentage points in second fall persistence). In contrast, the private nonprofit 4-year sector exhibited the largest disparities, with gaps of 24.9 percentage points for first spring and 38.2 percentage points for second fall persistence.

Younger students continued to persist and be retained at higher rates: Among full-time starters in the fall 2023 cohort, those aged 20 or younger had a spring persistence rate of 93.2 percent, compared to 79.0 percent for those aged 21-24 and 72.6 percent for those 25 or older. First spring retention rates followed a similar pattern: 90.6 percent for students 20 or younger, 77.6 percent for those 21-24, and 71.4 percent for those 25 or older.

Computer science persistence and retention decline an outlier: Second fall persistence and retention rates increased for students pursuing bachelor’s degrees in 9 of the top 10 most popular major fields, with Visual and Performing Arts showing notable gains (persistence: 88.1%, +1.0 percentage points; retention: 80.9%, +1.1 percentage points). Computer Science was the only top 10 major field to experience a decline in both second fall persistence and retention rates (persistence: 86.1%, -0.8 percentage points; retention: 78.1%, -0.8 percentage points). This pattern also held for first spring persistence and retention rates, where all top 10 major fields saw stability or growth—except for Computer Science, which saw small declines.

The Persistence and Retention report series examines early college enrollment outcomes for beginning postsecondary students, tracking both first spring and second year persistence and retention rates. Students are considered persisted if they remain enrolled at any institution and retained if they remain at their starting institution—either in the spring term following initial enrollment (first spring) or in the fall of their second academic year (second fall). In both timeframes, students who complete a credential before the applicable term are also included in the corresponding rates. The report is designed to help institutions understand trends and patterns in this important early success indicator, and identify disparities by institutional type, state, degree level, starting enrollment intensity, major field, and student demographic characteristics such as age, gender, and race and ethnicity. All data prior to the 2023-24 academic year reflect any newer and additional data that participating institutions have reported to the National Student Clearinghouse since last year’s publication.  

About the National Student Clearinghouse^® Research Center™

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse. The Research Center collaborates with higher education institutions, states, school districts, high schools, and educational organizations as part of a national effort to better inform education leaders and policymakers. Through accurate longitudinal data outcomes reporting, the Research Center enables better educational policy decisions leading to improved student outcomes. To learn more, visit nscresearchcenter.org.

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Vast Majority of U.S. States See More Students Who Had Stopped Out of College Now Re-Enrolling

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2025

Vast Majority of U.S. States See More Students Who Had Stopped Out of College Now Re-Enrolling

New Report Finds that, for the 2nd Year in a Row, Fewer Americans Are Stopping Out, More Returning to College

HERNDON, VA – (JUNE 4, 2025) – The number of students leaving college without earning a credential — or “stopping out” — has declined for the second year in a row, reports the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

The Some College, No Credential (SCNC) report, released today, also found that more students who had previously stopped out are re-enrolling. During the 2023-24 academic year, 42 states and the District of Columbia saw increases in re-enrollment compared to the previous year, ranging from a 0.7 percent increase in Washington, DC, to a 35.2 percent increase in Massachusetts.

“It is inspiring to see that over one million adults returned to campuses last year—the most we’ve ever recorded,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “They’re reviving college aspirations that had been put on hold years before. And states and institutions are working to make it even easier for more students to do so in the future.”

Nearly all higher education institution sectors saw fewer stopouts between January 2022 and July 2023 compared to the same period a year earlier—except for private for-profit four-year institutions and primarily online institutions, which saw increases of 17.7% and 1.7%, respectively.

Total population of “some college, no credential” Americans is still growing: Despite the promising trends in the re-enrollments, there are still nearly 43.1 million American adults stopped out of college without a credential, according to the new report. Of these, 37.6 million are under age 65 and of typical working age.

Moreover, the total population of working age adults with some college and no credential grew 2.2 percent in the year ending July 2023, as the 2.1 million students who were newly stopped out far outpaced those “some college, no credential” students re-enrolling in the 2022-23 academic year and the number of those aging out of the working-age population.

Some students benefit from policies that award credentials for past credits: Each year, about 1 in 4 of those in the “some college, no credential” population who earn a first credential do so without re-enrolling. While the data does not identify causes, these credential earners may be the beneficiaries of policies that remove administrative barriers to completion or award credentials based on the number of credits already earned in the past, such as Colorado’s new Colorado Re-Engaged (CORE) initiative.

The CORE initiative allows public four-year institutions to award associate degrees to those who stopped out in the last decade with 70 credit hours. This year’s report finds that, despite having the twentieth-largest “some college, no credential” population, Colorado had the seventh-highest number of first credential earners this year (2,100, +1,200 from 2022-23), boosted by associate degrees earned by “some college, no credential” individuals who did not need to re-enroll.

The Some College, No Credential report was created with the support of Lumina Foundation.

About the National Student Clearinghouse^® Research Center™

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse. The Research Center collaborates with higher education institutions, states, school districts, high schools, and educational organizations as part of a national effort to better inform education leaders and policymakers. Through accurate longitudinal data outcomes reporting, the Research Center enables better educational policy decisions leading to improved student outcomes. To learn more, visit nscresearchcenter.org.

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Postsecondary Spring Enrollment Continues Progress Toward Pre-Pandemic Highs

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2025

Postsecondary Spring Enrollment Continues Progress Toward Pre-Pandemic Highs

Enrollment Growth This Spring Is Especially Strong at Community Colleges

HERNDON, VA – (MAY 22, 2025) – The number of students enrolled in undergraduate programs continues to climb toward pre-pandemic highs, while enrollment in graduate programs has surpassed its spring 2020 level, according to a new report on spring enrollment from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

The Current Term Enrollment Estimates Spring 2025 report finds total postsecondary enrollment is at 18.4 million, up 3.2 percent this spring (+562,000) compared to spring 2024. Undergraduate enrollment grew 3.5 percent, reaching 15.3 million but remains below pre-pandemic levels (-2.4%, -378,000). Graduate enrollment also increased 1.5 percent (+46,000 to 3.1 million in spring 2025), now 7.2 percent higher than in 2020.

Community colleges help drive enrollment growth: Undergraduate enrollment increased across major institutional sectors, with community colleges seeing the largest growth (+5.4%, +288,000).

Undergraduate certificate program enrollment increased by 4.8 percent, now 20 percent higher than in 2020, and that growth was driven by community colleges, which accounted for nearly two-thirds of the increase in spring 2025.

“This is great news for community colleges, and especially for those with strong vocational programs,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “Four-year colleges can also feel good about higher numbers of undergraduates this spring, but their growth rates are slower.”

Institutions focused on vocational/trade programs see major gains: For the third consecutive year, high vocational public two-years had substantial growth in enrollment (+11.7%, +91,000). Enrollment at these trade-focused institutions increased almost 20 percent since the spring of 2020 (871,000 students) and now comprises 19.4 percent of public two-year enrollment.

First post-pandemic growth for twentysomethings: The number of undergraduate students in their twenties increased this spring (+3.2% for students 21-24 and +5.9% for students 25-29), marking a start of a recovery in spring enrollments after consistent declines since the pandemic.

The Current Term Enrollment Estimates (CTEE) series is published every January and May. It provides national enrollment estimates by credential type, institutional sector, enrollment intensity, age group, gender, major field as well as state-level enrollment estimates. For the complete CTEE Spring 2025 report, visit https://nscresearchcenter.org/current-term-enrollment-estimates/.

About the National Student Clearinghouse^® Research Center™

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse. The Research Center collaborates with higher education institutions, states, school districts, high schools, and educational organizations as part of a national effort to better inform education leaders and policymakers. Through accurate longitudinal data outcomes reporting, the Research Center enables better educational policy decisions leading to improved student outcomes. To learn more, visit nscresearchcenter.org.

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New DiplomaVerify Enhancement Lets Small Businesses Verify New Hires’ High School Credentials Immediately

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New DiplomaVerify Enhancement Lets Small Businesses Verify New Hires’ High School Credentials Immediately

National Student Clearinghouse Announces Enhancement to Benefit Small and Medium-Sized Businesses as It Marks National Small Business Month

HERNDON, VA – (May 13, 2025) – Small and medium-sized businesses now have easier access to immediate verifications of high school diplomas for job candidates under a new DiplomaVerify enhancement that enables online verifications to be performed without requiring a contracting process to first be completed, the National Student Clearinghouse announced today. The National Student Clearinghouse is the nation’s leading provider of educational verification services.

DiplomaVerify is the only service offering immediate online verification of high school credentials directly from participating high schools. The latest enhancement enables users to complete a rapid credentialing process via the web, rather than the previously required contracting process. This makes obtaining reliable academic verification accessible and affordable for businesses of all sizes, particularly those without dedicated HR departments or large budgets.

“National Small Business Month is the perfect time to launch this enhancement because it directly addresses a critical pain point for small and medium-sized businesses — efficiently verifying candidate qualifications,” said Kathryn Pearlman, Product Manager for DiplomaVerify at the National Student Clearinghouse. “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, but they often operate with limited resources. They need fast, reliable, and accessible tools. DiplomaVerify now provides an option to obtain immediate, on-demand high school diploma verification, helping small business owners hire with greater confidence and speed.”

Hiring the right talent remains a top concern for small business leaders, according to a 2023 SCORE survey. Verifying educational credentials is a fundamental step in ensuring candidates possess the qualifications they claim, protecting small businesses from costly hiring mistakes. With resume fraud also a significant concern — a 2023 ResumeLab survey found 70% of job seekers admitted to lying on their resumes, with 11% falsifying education information — DiplomaVerify offers a crucial, cost-effective safeguard.

For a nominal fee per verification, DiplomaVerify allows small businesses to validate high school credentials quickly, reliably, and affordably. This enhancement empowers small businesses to mitigate hiring risks, make more informed decisions, ensure compliance, and ultimately, focus on building strong teams to drive growth — key themes celebrated during National Small Business Month.

About the National Student Clearinghouse^®

The National Student Clearinghouse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization formed in 1993, is the trusted source for and the leading provider of higher education verifications and electronic education record exchanges. Besides working with nearly 3,600 postsecondary institutions in meeting their compliance needs, the Clearinghouse also provides thousands of high schools and districts with continuing collegiate enrollment, progression, and completion statistics on their alumni. For more details, visit  studentclearinghouse.org.

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Number of Learners Earning Certificates Reaches a New 10-Year High for the Third Consecutive Year

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Number of Learners Earning Certificates Reaches a New 10-Year High for the Third Consecutive Year

HERNDON, VA – (APRIL 10, 2025) – The last school year experienced record-breaking growth in the number of undergraduate certificate completers, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

The Undergraduate Degree Earners report covers undergraduate credentials including certificates, bachelor’s degrees, and associate degrees. While the number of undergraduate certificate earners grew, the number of bachelor’s degree and associate degree earners declined for the third consecutive year, according to the report. Fewer students earned an associate degree this year than in any of the last 10 years, and bachelor’s degree earners declined to their lowest level since 2015-16.

“This report provides yet more evidence that today’s students want shorter-term, lower-cost credentials that lead to faster employment opportunities,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “It is certificate programs, not associate or bachelor’s degrees, that are drawing students into colleges today.”

In the 2023-24 academic year, more than 3.2 million learners earned an undergraduate credential (+0.6% or +20,500 from a year earlier). Of those total learners, 58.8% (1.9 million) earned a bachelor’s degree as their highest undergraduate award, 25.1% (821,400) earned an associate degree, and 16.1% (525,200) earned an undergraduate certificate. Total numbers increased this year for both first-time completers (+0.5%) and those with previous undergraduate credentials (+0.9%).

Certificate earners drive increases: The number of learners earning certificates continued its record-breaking growth, reaching a new 10-year high for the third consecutive year. This report distinguishes between learners earning their first-ever undergraduate credential and those who are stacking new awards on top of a previous degree or certificate. Both first-time certificate earners (+12.6%, +41,500) and those with a prior award returning to earn a certificate (+8.0%, +11,500) saw significant increases. The proportion of first-time undergraduate degree completers who earned a certificate was about 1 in 7 (15.4%) in the 2023-24 school year, compared with 1 in 9 (11.3%) just a decade earlier in 2014-15.

The number of completers with a prior certificate earning a bachelor’s or associate degree increased this year (+6.3% and +4.1%, respectively). In contrast, the number of bachelor’s degree completers with a prior associate declined for the third year in a row.

Certificate earners are getting younger on average. The 2023-24 academic year marks the first time that certificate completers aged 24 and younger outnumbered those 25 and older. Certificate completers 18-20 years old grew by nearly 20,000 (17.8%) and those under 18 (likely dual enrolled high school students) grew by over 7,000 (27.2%) in 2023-24.

Special analysis on students earning multiple awards: New this year, the report presents a special analysis of undergraduate completers who earned multiple awards in the same academic year. While most undergraduate credential earners earned one award, 10.4% of completers in 2023-24 earned multiple awards within the academic year. This share has ticked up slowly, ranging from 8.1 to 10.4% in the last 10 years.

Certificates are the undergraduate credential most likely to be earned within the same academic year as another credential. More than one third of all completers earning a certificate (34.5% in 2023-24) receive that certificate within the same year alongside a bachelor’s, associate, and/or another certificate.

The Undergraduate Degree Earners Report profiles students who graduated with undergraduate-level credentials, including certificates, associate, and bachelor’s degrees in the latest academic year (2023-24). It compares first-time completers to those with prior awards and examines changes over time in demographics (gender, age, race/ethnicity), major fields, and credentials since 2014-15. The report includes national, state, and regional trend data and introduces a new analysis of students who earned multiple awards in the same year.

For the complete report, visit nscresearchcenter.org/undergraduate-degree-earners.

This report was created with the support of Lumina Foundation.

About the National Student Clearinghouse^® Research Center™

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse. The Research Center collaborates with higher education institutions, states, school districts, high schools, and educational organizations as part of a national effort to better inform education leaders and policymakers. Through accurate longitudinal data outcomes reporting, the Research Center enables better educational policy decisions leading to improved student outcomes. To learn more, visit nscresearchcenter.org.

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