2021 Nebraska Higher Education Progress Report Approved by the Commission March 11, 2021 COMMISSIONERS Dr. Deborah Frison, Chair Timothy Daniels Molly O’Holleran Omaha, District 2 Omaha, Member-at-Large North Platte, District 6 Dr. John Bernthal, Vice Chair Charles Garman Dr. Paul Von Behren Lincoln, District 1 Omaha, Member-at-Large Fremont, District 3 Colleen Adam Gene Kelly W. Scot Wilson Hastings, District 5 Papillion, District 4 Plattsmouth, Member-at-Large Gwenn Aspen Mary Lauritzen Omaha, Member-at-Large West Point, Member-at-Large STAFF Dr. Michael Baumgartner Kadi Lukesh Gary Timm Executive Director Bookkeeper, Budget Coordinator, Chief Finance & & Office Manager Administrative Officer Dr. Kathleen Fimple Academic Programs Officer Ritchie Morrow Joe Velasquez Financial Aid Officer Database Manager Jill Heese Research Coordinator Helen Pope Mike Wemhoff Executive Assistant Facilities Officer Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education 140 N. 8th Street, Suite 300 · P.O. Box 95005 · Lincoln, NE 68509-5005 Phone: (402) 471-2847 The Commission’s reports are available online at ccpe.nebraska.gov/reports The Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in the employment or the provision of services. Table of Contents Key Takeaways ..........................................................................................................................I Key Recommendations ............................................................................................................I I Executive Summary ............................................................................................................... S1 2021 Progress Report Recommendations .................................................................. S20 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................1 Section 1: Increasing Postsecondary Enrollment .................................................................. 3 Nebraska Total Fall Headcount Enrollment ......................................................................... 3 Nebraska Total Fall Headcount Enrollment by Sector ......................................................... 4 Nebraska Public Colleges and Universities: Fall Enrollment by Institution ........................... 5 Nebraska Nonpublic Colleges and Universities: Fall Enrollment .......................................... 8 Nebraska Fall Headcount Enrollment Summary by Sector .................................................. 9 12-Month Unduplicated Headcounts at Nebraska Postsecondary Institutions Compared to Fall Headcount Enrollment ................................................................. 10 First-Time Freshmen Enrollments at Nebraska Postsecondary Institutions ....................... 14 Strategic Objectives to Increase Postsecondary Enrollment .............................................. 18 1.1.a High School Graduation Rates ............................................................................. 19 Past and Present Trends in the Number of Nebraska High School Graduates ......... 19 Projected Trends in the Number of Nebraska High School Graduates ..................... 20 Projected and Recent Changes in Nebraska Public High School Graduates by Race/Ethnicity ............................................................................ 21 Nebraska Public High School Graduation Rates ...................................................... 23 Public High School Graduation Rates by State ........................................................ 24 Nebraska Public High School Graduation Rates by Gender .................................... 26 Nebraska Public High School Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity .......................... 27 District-Level Analysis of Graduation Rates ............................................................. 28 Nebraska Public High School Cohort Extended Graduation Rates .......................... 29 1.1.b Preparation for College ......................................................................................... 31 Nebraska ACT Assessment Scores ......................................................................... 31 ACT College Readiness Benchmark Scores ............................................................ 33 Percentages of Nebraska ACT-Tested Students Ready for College-Level Coursework ............................................................... 34 ACT Composite Scores and College Readiness Percentages by Race/Ethnicity ..... 35 The Importance of the ACT-Recommended High School Core Curriculum .............. 37 Nebraska’s Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education – 2021 Progress Report i Nebraska ACT Composite Scores of Students Who Take the ACT-Recommended Core and Students Who Take Less than the Core Curriculum ......................................................................... 38 Percentage of Nebraska ACT-Tested Students Who Take the Core or More ............................................................................. 39 1.1.c College Continuation Rates .................................................................................. 41 Introduction: Two Measures of Nebraska’s College Continuation Rates ................. 41 Nebraska Statewide College Continuation Rates Based on IPEDS Data ................. 43 State-by-State College Continuation Rates .............................................................. 43 In-State and Out-of-State College Continuation Rates ............................................. 45 Percentages of Students Who Continue Their Education at Public and Private Institutions ...................................................................... 46 College Continuation Rates for Nebraska Public High School Graduates by Gender, Student Income Status, and Race/Ethnicity, Based on National Student Clearinghouse Data .............................................. 48 1.2 Nebraska High School Graduates Who Go to College in Nebraska ................... 55 Changes in the Number of Nebraska-Resident, First-Time Freshmen Enrolled at Postsecondary Institutions by Length of Time Since High School Graduation ......................................................................... 56 In-State and Out-of-State Enrollments of Nebraska-Resident, First-Time Freshmen Who Graduated from High School Within 12 Months of College Enrollment .......................................................... 57 In-State and Out-of-State Enrollments of Nebraska-Resident, First-Time Freshmen Who Graduated from High School More than 12 Months Prior to College Enrollment ............................................ 59 1.3 Non-Nebraska, First-Time Freshmen Who Enroll at Nebraska Colleges and Net Migration .......................................... 61 Non-Nebraska, First-Time Freshmen Who Attend Nebraska Colleges and Universities ................................................................................. 61 Net Migration of Nebraska and Non-Nebraska, First-Time Freshmen ...................... 64 1.4 Enrollment of First-Time Freshmen by Race/Ethnicity ....................................... 65 Changes in the Numbers of First-Time Freshmen Enrolled at Nebraska Institutions........................................................................................ 65 Types of Institutions Most Frequently Attended by Each Racial/Ethnic Group ......................................................................................... 67 Representation of Racial/Ethnic Groups by Sector .................................................. 69 1.5 Financial Aid .......................................................................................................... 71 Number of Students Not Served by Nebraska’s Opportunity Grant Program ........... 71 Other Evidence of Unmet Need for Financial Aid ..................................................... 74 Nebraska’s Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education – 2021 Progress Report ii Nebraska Opportunity Grant Program and Other Sources of Title IV Financial Aid ........................................................................................ 76 Nebraska Opportunity Grants as a Percentage of All Title IV Financial Aid .............. 76 Nebraska Opportunity Grants as a Percentage of Title IV Financial Aid Awarded at Nebraska Public Institutions .......................................................... 77 Need-Based Financial Aid (Excluding Loans) Awarded at Nebraska’s Public Institutions ...................................................................... 78 Access College Early (ACE) Scholarship Program .................................................. 81 College Continuation Rates of ACE Scholarship Recipients .................................... 82 Section 2: Increasing College Retention and Graduation Rates ......................................... 85 2.1 Freshmen Retention Rates (Based on IPEDS Data) ............................................. 87 Full-Time Freshmen Retention Rates by Sector ...................................................... 87 Part-Time Freshmen Retention Rates by Sector ...................................................... 88 Nebraska Freshmen Retention Rates Compared to Those of Other States ............. 89 2.2 College Graduation and Transfer Rates within 150% of Normal Time (Based on IPEDS Data) ..................................................................................