A breakdown in student demographics illustrates that the popularity of earning a certificate for first-time credential earners isn't tied to one gender or ethnicity, according to the latest report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
The current model of higher education gives credit only if and when a learner reaches the end of the journey. It’s a broken system that hardly works even for traditional learners who enter college right after high school.
First-time undergraduate earners made up 86% of the 58,800 drop in total credential earners, which "marks the largest decline in first-time graduates since 2012-13," according to the report.
