Re-engaging the 40 million Learners with Some College, No Credential

In the U.S., more than 40 million adults have earned some college credit but never completed a degree, highlighting the need for higher education to evolve and better serve learners from all backgrounds, helping them unlock opportunities and achieve economic security. The first step in re-engaging learners with some college but no credential (SCNC), is to understand who they are and the obstacles they face. Today’s learners are navigating many challenges on their path to a degree including personal and professional responsibilities, financial and systemic barriers, and policy changes that can make it difficult to access the resources they need to succeed.

The latest policy brief from the Center for Higher Education Policy and Practice (CHEPP), Unpacking the 40 Million: Meeting the Needs of Learners with Some College and No Credential, explores the growing SCNC population, their unique challenges, and the importance of flexible learning options.

Who Are SCNC Learners? 

Today’s students are juggling work, family, and other responsibilities alongside higher education. Many SCNC learners are people of color and from lower-income backgrounds who face unique circumstances that make degree completion difficult. 

• 64% work full- or part-time  
• 24% are parents 
• 3 out of 5 experience housing or food insecurity
• 19% have a disability 
• 6% are veterans or active-duty military 
• 35% are first-generation college students  

Partnering with the national, bipartisan Today’s Students Coalition, the brief also provides a practical framework for designing learner-centered programs that support re-enrollment, persistence, and degree completion. 

When returning to college, many choose the flexibility of online programs to fit their education into their busy lives. By expanding access to education for diverse and historically underserved populations, online education drives economic mobility and supports workforce development, outcomes that extend beyond individual learners to benefit their families and entire communities.

As one of the nation’s largest nonprofit providers of higher education with a long history of innovation, Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is among the institutions working to drive equitable outcomes by providing learner-centric pathways and support designed to meet the individual needs of learners to enable them to reach their goals. With more than 66% of its students transferring in with prior credit, SNHU is already serving SCNC learners who are looking to finish what they started, and has found those who transfer in more credits, up to 90, have higher year-over-year retention rates. Many SNHU learners have unique credit transfer stories, with more than 1 in 4 having enrolled at 3 or more higher education institutions before enrolling at SNHU. Learners like Jereme West ’23, a U.S. Army veteran and member of the LGBTQ+ community. West, who also lives with PTSD, tried seven other schools before finding the support he needed at SNHU, and earned his BA in Psychology online. Now, he’s using his education to help other service members transition to civilian life.

The number of SCNC learners continues to grow. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported that the SCNC population grew to 40.4 million in 2021-2022, an increase of 1.4 million in just one year. This significant group not only underscores the challenges many learners face in achieving their academic goals but also highlights a tremendous opportunity for institutions to improve and evolve systems to close degree gaps and help learners reach their full potential.

To learn more about SCNC learners and learner-centered design, read CHEPP and Today’s Students Coalition’s policy brief here.

Siobhan Lopez is a former journalist, who is now the director of media relations at Southern New Hampshire University.