Number of Adults With Some College, No Degree Grows by 2.1 Million

Despite growing efforts to improve college persistence, nearly 800,000 more adults in the U.S. fell into the “some college, no credential” (SCNC) category over the past year, bringing the total to 37.5 million people under age 65 and an additional 5.5 million over 65, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

The SCNC designation includes anyone who enrolled in college at least once since 1993 but didn’t earn a degree or certificate and hasn’t been enrolled for three or more consecutive terms as of July 2023.

Between January 2022 and July 2023, about 2.1 million people left college without earning a credential—though that number is slightly lower than the previous year. The data highlights a growing challenge: far more students leave college each year without a credential than return to complete one.

Still, there are signs of progress. In 2023–24, over 1 million SCNC individuals either re-enrolled or earned a credential. Many of them earned certificates (43%) or associate degrees (31%) within a year, indicating a path back is possible.

Nearly every state saw an increase in the SCNC population, but 42 states and D.C. also saw increases in re-enrollment rates. Colorado led the way, largely due to its CORE initiative, which allows eligible students with 70 or more credits to receive an associate degree without re-enrolling. Of the 2,100 SCNC students who earned a credential in Colorado last year, 800 did so without returning to school.

Massachusetts saw the biggest re-enrollment jump—up 35.2% year-over-year—after launching its MassReconnect initiative.

Despite these gains, seven states, including Oklahoma, saw re-enrollment declines. Researchers point to life circumstances and financial hardship—not academic difficulty—as major reasons why students stop out.

Of those who did return and finish a credential, about a quarter didn’t re-enroll, likely benefiting from streamlined initiatives like CORE or resolving previous administrative barriers.

Most SCNC students who re-enroll do so at a new institution—often in a different sector. Many move between community colleges or switch to primarily online schools. While this flexibility offers new opportunities, it can also create problems with credit transfers and program alignment, which can slow progress.

Students who return sooner or who already completed a significant number of credits are more likely to succeed. The report suggests that targeting these populations could be key to helping more students reach completion.