Reenrollments ticking up

More than 1 million former college students reenrolled in the 2023-24 school year, the second straight annual increase after years of attrition. (studentclearinghouse.org) The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center counted nearly 43.1 million Americans with “some college, no credential” at the start of 2023-24, including 37.6 million adults under 65. Reenrollment rose 7% from a year earlier, or about 66,000 students, to the highest level the group has recorded. (studentclearinghouse.org; forbes.com) The gains were broad but uneven. Forty-two states and the District of Columbia posted year-over-year increases in reenrollment, from 0.7% in Washington, District of Columbia, to 35.2% in Massachusetts, while Oklahoma had the steepest decline at 13.8%. (studentclearinghouse.org; forbes.com) The turnaround is showing up even as the pool of people who left college keeps growing. The Clearinghouse said 2.1 million students stopped out between January 2022 and July 2023, and the working-age population without a credential still grew 2.2% over the year. (studentclearinghouse.org; forbes.com) Colleges and states are trying to pull former students back with small, targeted fixes rather than broad promises. The Associated Press reported that scholarships, help with paperwork, and support for housing, caregiving, transportation, and unpaid balances can be enough to get students back on track. (abcnews.com) That approach reflects how many students leave in the first place. The Associated Press said Jevona Anderson left the University of Baltimore in 2025 after family deaths, eviction, and financial strain, then reenrolled when a scholarship made returning affordable. (abcnews.com) The data also show that reenrollment is only one path back to a credential. About 1 in 4 former students who earned a first credential did so without reenrolling, a pattern the Clearinghouse said may reflect policies that clear administrative barriers or award degrees for credits students had already completed. (studentclearinghouse.org) Colorado is one example. Its Colorado Re-Engaged initiative lets public four-year colleges award associate degrees to former students from the last decade who accumulated 70 credit hours before stopping out. (studentclearinghouse.org) Students who return still face long odds. Forbes, citing the Clearinghouse report, said 4.7% of reenrolled students earned a credential within their first year back, and 14.1% did so within two years. (forbes.com) Interest in coming back appears to be there. A 2024 Lumina Foundation and Gallup survey of nearly 14,000 adults found that 48% of people not currently in college said they were likely to enroll in a postsecondary program, while cost, mental health, stress, and class flexibility remained major barriers. (insidehighered.com)