Persistence and retention rates for new community college students have steadily increased since the Covid pandemic and even exceeded pre-pandemic figures, according to new findings from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
Persistence — the rate at which students who started at a community college and continued enrollment at any institution for a second semester and into the following fall, whether the same college or a different one — has increased from a low of 58.9% in 2019, to 63.3% in fall 2024, up from 62.5% the previous year. The 2024 figure exceeds the pre-Covid rate of 62.4%.
The same pattern holds for both full-time and part-time community college students. Full-time persistence rates rose to 72.7% in fall 2024, up from 71.3% the previous year. During the first year of Covid, the rate plunged to 67.8%, from 70.6%.
For part-time students, the fall 2024 rate increased to 52.3%, up from 51.2% in 2023. That too surpassed the 51.4% rate that held from fall 2016 to 2018.
Retention rates — tracking students who started at an institution and stayed enrolled there for their second fall term — also held the same pattern at community colleges, with a steady increase since the pandemic and exceeding pre-Covid high marks. The fall 2024 retention rate for public two-year colleges hit 56.2%, up from 55.5% in fall 2023, surpassing 54.6% in 2018. The full-time student rate climbed to 65.2% in fall 2024, from 63.8% in fall 2023, while part-time students inched up to 46.6%, from 45.9%. Both groups surpassed the most recent pre-Covid high marks.
Public four-year institutions followed a similar pattern overall: persistence rose to 87.7% in fall 2024, up from 86.9%; retention increased to 79.4%, from 78.7%.
A different story among races
The community college data was different when separated by race, but again followed recent trends. The persistence rate for associate-degree seekers at public two-year colleges rose for Asian (79.2% in fall 2024), multiracial (67.4%), Hispanic (66.7%), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (58.4%) and Black (57.9%) students. For White and Native American students, however, the persistence rate decreased again, to 67.6% and 58.4%, respectively.
A similar pattern emerged for retention rates — Asian (70.7% in fall 2024, from 69.5%), Hispanic (61.2%, from 59.2%), multiracial (59.9%, from 57.9%), Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (50.7%, from 49.7%) and Black (49.9%, from 48.2%) students saw increases. Native American students saw a decrease to 50.4%, from 51.9%. White students saw a small drop to 59.2%, from 59.9%.
The figures for international students at public two-year colleges were interesting. Their persistence among associate-degree seekers at two-year colleges was fairly steady, even during the pandemic, hovering between 69% and 71% over the past several years. However, their retention rate dropped in fall 2024 to 59.4%, from 65.1% in fall 2023.
The pattern zig-zagged more for international students seeking certificates at a public two-year college. For persistence, the rate dipped to 59.1% in fall 2024, from 62.6%. Same thing for retention rates: It dropped to 54% in fall 2024, from 59.1% in fall 2023.
Differences in age
There’s also a clear line between younger and older learners at a community college. The recent trends of persistence and retention rates rising for students ages 20 and younger and for ages 21 to 24 continued, while the rates for students 25 and older dropped again. The trend appears for both associate-degree and certificate seekers.
The report also looks at persistence, retention and transfers among the top majors for degree and certificate seekers. Biological and biomedical biosciences, multi/interdisciplinary studies and liberal arts and sciences/general studies/humanities had the highest percentages for associate degrees; liberal arts and sciences/general studies/humanities, construction trades, and personal and culinary services had the top rates for undergraduate certificate programs.
In addition, the report provides overall persistence and retention rates for states, as well as a breakdown by age at entry.
