Non-Credit Students at Community Colleges

EdInfo 00-11
November, 2000
ERIC Clearinghouse for Community Colleges

In fall 1999, the American Association of Community Colleges and ACT, Inc. conducted the annual "Faces of the Future" survey, the first nationwide study to include both credit and noncredit community college students. The definition of noncredit students used in the survey embraces all respondents taking at least one noncredit class. The report highlights findings in the following areas:

• Age distribution of noncredit students: Displaying a much broader age distribution than credit students, 11 percent of noncredit respondents were over the age of 60, 36 percent were between the ages of 40 and 59, and less than 15 percent were under the age of 21.

• Prior educational attainment: Twenty-eight percent of noncredit community college students had attained a Bachelor's degree or higher and ten percent had a Master's degree or higher. Fewer students with previous earned degrees reported taking courses for job advancement, although computer-related classes were as popular among these students as among other student groups.

• Reasons for attending the community college: Noncredit students over the age of 40 were more likely to be enrolled in community colleges for personal enrichment, whereas a larger proportion of the younger population cited career-related reasons for attendance. Fourteen percent of noncredit students aged 21 to 25 reported that they attended the college because their employer required them to do so.

• Satisfaction with community colleges: Eighty-eight percent of noncredit students reported that they were satisfied or very satisfied with the community college in general, with only 2 percent noting that they were dissatisfied. Overall, noncredit students were more likely to regard all aspects of the college as more satisfactory than credit students.

This information was reported in ED 439 760, "Faces of the Future: A Portrait of America's Community College Students" by Kent A. Philippe and Michael J. Valiga. A full-text copy of this document may be obtained by contacting ERIC Document Reproduction Services (EDRS), 7420 Fullerton Road, Suite 110, Springfield, VA 22153-2852; or by calling (800) 443-ERIC.

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Updated 10/10/01
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