Reports & Tools

Spring 2020 Current Term Enrollment Estimates: A COVID-19 Supplement

How are students responding to the campus shutdowns and online-only classes amid COVID-19? Which students and which institutions are most affected? The latest data show that the pandemic crisis does not appear to have had any major effect on students’ enrollment statuses during the spring term, regardless of demographic characteristics or institution types.

A Stronger Nation

The nation faces an urgent and growing need for talent. To meet that need, many more people must earn college degrees, workforce certificates, industry certifications and other high-quality credentials. That’s why Lumina Foundation works to ensure that, by 2025, 60 percent of Americans hold a credential beyond high school—a quality credential that prepares people for informed citizenship and economic success.

Purpose and Pay Define a ‘Good Job’ for College Graduates

Less than one third of recent college graduates (30%) say they had a good job waiting for them when they graduated. Gallup research shows that applied learning experiences—including internships that allow students to put what they are learning in the classroom to practical use in the workplace—increase the odds that they’ll obtain a good job immediately upon graduation.

Emerging Trends

Researchers Raise Concerns About Algorithmic Bias in Online Course Tools

Some scholars worry that AI in learning management systems used by colleges could lead to misidentifications in academic settings, by doing things like falsely tagging certain students as low-performing, which could lead their professors to treat them differently or otherwise disadvantage them.

Policy Watch

Supreme Court Protects DACA, LGBTQ Workers; Prioritizing DEI During COVID-19

Hosts Jon Fansmith and Lorelle Espinosa discuss (podcast with transcript) two recent Supreme Court decisions: one that protects individuals with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, and another that protects the civil rights of LGBTQ workers, both of which will impact colleges/universities and students.

Colleges Turn to States for Coronavirus Liability Protection

Awaiting federal backing, colleges and industry groups have begun pressing state lawmakers for protection against legal action should campuses have to close again or students and employees contract the virus on campus.

NCES Updates

College Affordability and Transparency (CATC) Lists

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) released this year’s College Affordability and Transparency (CATC) Lists on June 30, 2020. The link to this year’s lists is now available in the IPEDS Data Collection System. You can access the lists by logging in to the Data Collection System using your Keyholder User ID and password. A link to the College Affordability and Transparency Center is on the first page. For additional information about the release, you can review the letter signed by Annmarie Weisman, Senior Director, Policy Development, Analysis, and Accreditation Services, here.

New Report Releases Data on Postsecondary Tuition, Fees, and Degrees

Between 2017-18 and 2019-20, the average tuition and required fees at 4-year public institutions increased less than 1 percent for in-state and decreased approximately 1 percent for out-of-state students (after adjusting for inflation). During that same time period, tuition and required fees increased approximately 1 percent at 4-year nonprofit institutions and decreased by a little more than 3 percent at for-profit institutions. NCES released a new set of data and web tables July 8 with fully edited and imputed data from the IPEDS fall 2019 collection. This collection included three survey components: Institutional Characteristics for the 2019-20 academic year, Completions covering the period July 1, 2018, through June 30, 2019, and data on 12-Month Enrollment for the 2018–19 academic year.