‘Not every path is directly to college.’ As fewer students pursue degrees, certificate programs are on the rise - Hilary Burns, Lumina Foundation

“Not every path is directly to college,” Senneville said. “There’s this whole big world of boats out there, and as soon as you get your foot in the door, you realize that there [are] a lot of opportunities.” As the number of people pursuing two-and-four-year degrees across the country falls due to high sticker prices and declining birth rates, a growing swell of students are turning to shorter-term certificate programs to gain workforce skills in less time, for less money. Some 670,665 people completed certificate programs in the academic year ending in 2023, a 4 percent increase from the year prior, according the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The share of people completing bachelor’s and associate’s degrees fell 3 percent and 7 percent, respectively, during that time.

https://www.luminafoundation.org/news-and-views/not-every-path-is-directly-to-college-as-fewer-students-pursue-degrees-certificate-programs-are-on-the-rise/