The number of conferred associate degrees decreased from 2020-21 to 2021-22, but certificates saw an increase, according to the “2024 Report on the Condition of Education.”
The U.S. Education Department’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) on Thursday released its annual report, which draws on vast federal data to follow key trends in K-12 and postsecondary education, including college enrollment and completion rates.
The number of bachelor’s, master’s and doctor’s degrees conferred increased between 2011–12 and 2021–22, while the number of certificates and associate degrees conferred was about 1 million each in both years. At the sub-baccalaureate level, the percentage of awards conferred in a career and technical education (CTE) field decreased from 2011–12 to 2021–22 (from 94% to 85% percent of certificates, and from 59% to 50% percent of associate degrees).
The percentage of immediate enrollment of high school completers at two-year colleges dipped from 19% in 2021 to 17% in 2022, while it increased at four-year institutions from 43% to 45%. The number of associate degrees conferred decreased by 29,000, from 1,037,300 in 2020-21, to 1,008,300 in 2021-22. Bachelor’s degrees also saw a drop in the same period, but certificates saw a bump up of 50,600, from 991,800, to 1,042,400.
The report also includes the eight-year completion rate for two-year college students entering in 2013-14 and 2014-15. The rates for first-time students increased for full-time students (37% to 39%) and part-time students (19% to 20%), but decreased for non-first-time students, 45% to 43% for full-time students, and 24% to 23% for part-time students.
The report also includes economic outcomes based on educational attainment, looking at employment and unemployment rates and annual earnings. For example, the median annual earnings for 25- to 34- years-olds who attained an associate degree was $49,500 in 2022, an increase of $100 from the previous year. For those who had some college but no degree, the median earnings were $45,200 in 2022, an increase of $200.
A focus on CTE
This year, the report includes a new indicator spotlighting CTE, with information on CTE teachers, high school CTE participation and postsecondary CTE credentials. For example, the CTE indicator shows that a higher percentage of high school CTE concentrators–defined as those who earned two or more credits in the same CTE area during high school–than non-concentrators earned their associate degree in a CTE field (58% versus 45%). These data are for 2009 9th graders who graduated from a public high school in 2013 and earned an associate degree as their highest credential by June 2021, according to the report.
NCES also has updated its Digest of Education Statistics State Dashboard, which provides state-level data on topics of current interest in U.S. education.
