Noncredit Credentials on the Rise

Noncredit credentials are on the rise in the U.S., with over a quarter of Americans holding such credentials. These include badges, certificates, industry certifications, apprenticeships, and microcredentials. However, assessing their quality is challenging due to the lack of uniform accreditation standards. Clearing this confusion would benefit workers, students, and employers, especially those historically underserved by higher education. State entities and employers also need tools to recognize credential quality for informed decision-making and investment. Toward that end, NAC is actively building an Accreditation Information Hub (AiHub) to provide a framework for policy, practice, and data analysis. This framework builds on a variety of existing systems in our nation and connects state, federal, and institutional data.

In 2016, the National Center on Educational Statistics conducted a survey to gather information about individuals holding noncredit or nondegree credentials. The survey, ATES2016.pdf (ed.gov) is available at ed.gov, revealed the following:

Among adults with non-degree credentials:

• 8 percent held a postsecondary certificate.
• 18 percent possessed a license.
• 6 percent had a certification.

Notably, licenses and certifications were more common among highly educated adults:

• 48 percent of those with a graduate or professional degree held a license or certificate.
• In contrast, only 5 percent of adults with less than a high school education had such credentials.

Since 2016, there has been limited data collection in this area. Consequently, we strongly advocate for establishing a new programmatic accreditor for noncredit programs, addressing the growing demand for quality assurance in this field.