The rate of Indiana high school seniors who go directly on
to college remains stagnant, according to the latest data released by state
officials.
New numbers for the Class of 2022 announced Thursday by the
Indiana Commission for Higher Education (CHE) indicated — for the third year in a row — that just 53% of Hoosier
graduates furthered their education with certificate training, a two-year
program or enrollment at a four-year college.
It’s a 6% drop from the class of 2019, and 12% lower than
in 2015.
Still, because the data further shows that the total number
of 2022 high school graduates increased by 3%, that translates to fewer
students enrolled in postsecondary education directly after high school.
“Even though the college-going rate held steady at 53%, we
actually lost a number of first-time students enrolling from our headcount
perspective,” said Brooke Kile, associate commissioner for business
intelligence.
CHE staff presented preliminary data during the
commission’s bi-monthly meeting on Thursday. Official numbers for 2022 are
expected to be released next week.
The rate — called “dismal” by numerous state lawmakers and
education officials — continues the state’s lowest college-going trend in recent history. The
decline began several years prior, however.
More students going out of state
CHE defines the college-going rate as the percentage of
students who enroll in a postsecondary institution within the year following
high school graduation.
Per the 2022 data, 47% of students who completed Career and
Technical Education (CTE) training while in high school went on to pursue
additional postsecondary coursework.
But among those CTE students, Kile noted that Indiana
continues to have access gaps among different demographic groups.
About 70% of Asian students and 48% of White students who
took CTE classes went on to college, according to the commission’s numbers.
Forty-four percent of Black students and 41% of Hispanic and Latino students
continued education after graduation.
Kile said, too, that male students are “increasingly
choosing” not to participate in postsecondary education.
Indiana’s 21st Century Scholars students are making the
jump, though, and have “a very strong college-going rate,” Kile continued.
The scholarship fund covers
full tuition and fees at Indiana colleges and universities for low-income
students, who enroll in the 8th grade.
Eighty-one percent of scholars in the 2022 cohort advanced
to postsecondary education, according the the new data. That’s compared to 59%
of non-scholar students who continued their studies.
CHE officials also identified a new trend with the Class of
2022 — of the students who are going to college, more are enrolling in
out-of-state schools.
Around 27% of graduating seniors enrolled in one of
Indiana’s public four-year institutions, followed by 10% who attend a public
two-year school and 8% who enrolled at a private college or university.
Another 8% went to a school outside of Indiana, according
to the data.
“This is the highest out-of-state percentage that we’ve
seen in the last several years,” Kile explained. She said Indiana’s
college-going rates only held steady the out-of-state enrollment went up.
“One year is not a trend, so we are not necessarily
sounding the alarm,” she continued. “But we are definitely looking at what sort
of early indicator data we can get from the 2023 and 2024 cohorts, looking at
attendance patterns, to see if we need to do any sort of special initiatives to
encourage students to stay in Indiana.”
CHE initiatives continue
Also previewed Thursday was a data update on the Class of
2021.
CHE officials said 51% of the 2021 cohort that enrolled in
a postsecondary program within a year after high school graduation met all
three early college success benchmarks: they did not need remediation, they
completed all courses they attempted during their first year of enrollment, and
they persisted to their second year of schooling.
According to the latest numbers, 77% of the 2021 cohort
that enrolled in a postsecondary program persisted to the second year, which
Kile said is the highest persistence rate in more than a decade.
Still, Kile and other commission officials emphasized
ongoing efforts to boost postsecondary enrollment.
Current initiatives include:
- Additional support from the Frank O’Bannon grant — a 35% increase to
awards took effect beginning with the 2023 cohort.
- “Pre-admissions letters,” a program first started by CHE last year, which indicated
to Hoosier students at least three Indiana colleges and universities to
which they qualified to attend.
- Automatic enrollment for eligible 21st Century Scholars —
which doubled the number of scholars in the 2027
graduating class from 20,000 to over 40,000.
- Adding incentives for Indiana campuses to prioritize low-income
youth and adult enrollment.
Kile also noted CHE’s continued expansion of the Indiana
College Core offerings, given that College Core completion “is the best
indicator for college going.”
The curriculum consists of a 30-credit-hour block of
general education courses that transfer between all of Indiana’s public
institutions and some private colleges.
Adding to the effort, a new law signed by the governor in March will
require College Core courses to be more accessible to high
schoolers across the state, and compels Hoosier colleges and universities —
minus Ivy Tech Community College and Vincennes University — to offer three-year
degree programs by July 2025.