The number of undergraduates who completed a credential in the 2022-23 academic year fell 2.8% compared to the year prior, representing a decline of about 99,000 students, according to the latest data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
The dip marks the second-straight year of decreases — a trend likely due to falling student headcounts during the coronavirus pandemic.
“As expected, the enrollment declines of the pandemic years are now showing up in falling numbers of degree earners as well,” Doug Shapiro, the research center’s executive director, said in a statement.
Below, we’re unpacking three major trends from the new data.
The number of certificate earners ticked up
Year-over-year percent change in number of students who completed credentials
The number of students who earned bachelor’s degrees declined 3% in the 2022-23 academic year, representing about 59,000 fewer undergraduates. The decline in associate degree earners was even more dramatic, with completions falling 7.3% year over year. That translates to about 65,000 fewer graduates compared to the year before.
However, not all credential types saw declines.
The number of students who finished certificate programs rose 3.9%. Although this equates to about 25,000 additional undergraduates, it wasn’t enough to counteract overall completion declines.
First-time certificate completions surged among younger students
Year-over-year percent change in first-time completions by credential type and age of graduates during 2022-23 academic year
The research center compared completion rates between first-time earners and those who had previously earned credentials. Overall, fewer undergraduates completed their first credential in the 2022-23 academic year compared to the year before.
This trend concentrated in two- and four-year programs. Completions of bachelor’s and associate degrees among first-time credential earners declined across all adult age groups during the last academic year.
However, the number of first-time certificate earners ticked up across most age groups, including undergraduates from ages 18 to 20. Some 137,000 students in this age range completed a certificate in the 2022-23 academic year, up 11.3% compared to the year before.
Likewise, roughly 96,000 undergraduates ages of 21 to 24 earned a certificate for the first time, representing a 5.5% increase from the previous year.
Certificate earners flocked toward personal and culinary services
Top 10 fields for certificate completers in the 2022-23 academic year
Some 34,000 undergraduates completed certificates in the personal and culinary services field, up a whopping 21.5% compared to the year before. Likewise, roughly 55,000 undergraduates completed certificates in the liberal arts and related fields, a 15.4% increase over the last year.
Other fields that saw increases included precision production, construction trades, and mechanic and repair technologies.
But not all certificate fields saw an increase in completions last year. The number of students who completed business, management and related fields declined 6.1% in the 2022-23 academic year.
