This week, NCAN released our 2021 National College Access and Success Benchmarking Report, “Closing the College Graduation Gap.” The report highlights NCAN’s commitment to reporting on the outcomes of the college access and success field. We do this because our members’ work matters for students, families, communities, states, and the nation overall.
In addition to our Benchmarking Report, we are also holding up some of our members’ own efforts reporting on their program performance and outcomes. Reposted below are the key findings from an Achieve Atlanta report on the outcomes of their students from the class of 2020.
New Report Shows Changes in Scholar Enrollment During COVID-19
By Sweta Vivek & Sam Rauschenberg, Achieve Atlanta
Today [Ed. Note: June 15, 2021], we released our second report in a series we’re publishing this year on what we’re learning about our Scholars’ journeys toward a college degree. Scholars are Atlanta Public Schools graduates who qualify for need-based
Achieve Atlanta scholarships to attend an eligible college, university or technical program.
Last fall, Achieve Atlanta welcomed 774 Scholars into its incoming 2020 cohort. While this represented a 5% decrease from the 2019 cohort, it was smaller than the 11% reduction nationwide for low-income students in the class of 2020.
The share of first-year Scholars enrolling in four-year degree programs increased from 74% to 88%. Much of this shift is likely due to most colleges and universities waiving SAT/ACT testing requirements and minimums for admissions. Institutions
offering four-year degree programs tend to have higher persistence and graduation rates than two-year or technical institutions.
Despite enrolling in institutions with higher persistence rates, 76% of Cohort 2020 Scholars returned for the spring semester, 12 percentage points lower than for Cohort 2019.
In contrast to first-year Scholars, those enrolled in college prior to the pandemic maintained enrollment patterns similar to those of past years.
Given the significant drop in persistence from fall to spring for Cohort 2020 Scholars, AATL is collaborating closely with our non-profit and college partners to re-engage first-year students and help them return to college in fall 2021.
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