DATA

POINT

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

NCES 2016-411 MAY 2016

Trends in U.S. 

Subbaccalaureate 

Certificate Seekers: 

2003–04 to 2011–12

Subbaccalaureate certificates1 are postsecondary credentials conferred as the result of a student’s successful 

completion of a formal program of study below the baccalaureate level. These certificates are mainly earned 

through seat time in classrooms and issued by postsecondary educational institutions (Horn and Li 2009). Most 

certificates are conferred in vocational fields and intended to prepare students for jobs requiring education at the 

subbaccalaureate level. 

This Data Point shows recent trends in the number of students enrolled in subbaccalaureate certificate programs, 

their prior educational attainment, and their certificate fields of study. Data are from the 2004, 2008, and 2012

National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS). These studies are nationally representative sample surveys 

of how U.S. students finance their postsecondary education. 

Did the percentage of 

undergraduates enrolled 

in subbaccalaureate 

certificate programs and 

the percentage of 

enrollees already holding 

postsecondary 

credentials change 

between 2003–04 and 

2011–12?

In 2011–12, about 8 percent of 

undergraduates2 were enrolled in 

subbaccalaureate certificate programs in the U.S. postsecondary 

education system, representing a 

slight increase from the 7 percent 

who were enrolled in 2003–04 

(figure 1).

In 2011–12, one-third of subbaccalaureate certificate seekers (i.e., 

enrollees) had already earned a 

postsecondary degree or certificate, rising from 28 percent in 

2003–04. 

FIGURE 1. Percentage of undergraduates enrolled in a 

subbaccalaureate certificate program, and, of these, 

percentage who had already attained a postsecondary 

credential: 2003–04, 2007–08, and 2011–12

NOTE: Estimates include students enrolled in Title IV eligible postsecondary institutions in the 50 states

and the District of Columbia. Standard error tables are available at 

http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2016411. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003–04, 2007–08, 

and 2011–12 National Postsecondary Student Aid Studies (NPSAS:04, NPSAS:08, and NPSAS:12).

7

28

7

29

8

34

0

20

40

60

80

100

Of all undergraduates,

percentage enrolled

in a subbaccalaureate

certificate program

Of subbaccalaureate certificate

seekers, percentage who had

already earned a

postsecondary credential

Percent

2003–04 2007–08 2011–12

To learn more about the NPSAS, visit http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/npsas. 

For questions about content or to view this report online, go to 

http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2016411.
More About Subbaccalaureate Certificate Seekers

FIGURE 2. Percentage distribution of subbaccalaureate certificate seekers according to their 

certificate field of study: 2003–04, 2007–08, and 2011–12

NOTE: The figure excludes students who did not declare a major field at the time of the interview. STEM refers to science, technology, engineering, and 

mathematics. Estimates include students enrolled in Title IV eligible postsecondary institutions in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Detail may not sum 

to total because of rounding. Standard error tables are available at http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2016411. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003–04, 2007–08, and 2011–12 National Postsecondary Student Aid Studies 

(NPSAS:04, NPSAS:08, and NPSAS:12).

In which fields were subbaccalaureate 

certificate seekers enrolled? Did the 

enrollment in these fields change 

between 2003‒04 and 2011‒12?

Subbaccalaureate certificate seekers concentrated in 

three broad fields: heath care, personal/consumer 

services, and manufacturing/construction/repair/

transportation (figure 2). Together, these three fields 

accounted for 77 percent of all subbaccalaureate certificate seekers enrolled in the U.S. postsecondary 

education system in 2011–12, with health care the 

predominant field (42 percent).

Compared with enrollment in these three fields, fewer 

subbaccalaureate certificate seekers were enrolled in 

STEM fields3 (7 percent), business (5 percent), social 

sciences/humanities (1 percent), and other miscellaneous fields (9 percent) in 2011–12.

From 2003–04 to 2011–12, subbaccalaureate 

certificate enrollment in personal/consumer services 

increased (from 13 percent to 21 percent), but enrollment decreased in STEM (from 10 percent to 7 percent) 

and business (from 11 percent to 5 percent). There was 

no measurable change in the enrollment in health care 

fields during this period (39 percent and 42 percent).

References 

Horn, L., and Li, X. (2009). Changes in Postsecondary Awards 

Below the Bachelor’s Degree: 1997 to 2007 (NCES 2010-167). 

National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education 

Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.

Endnotes 1 Certificates can also be awarded at the postbaccalaureate level; those certificates, however, are not included in this analysis.

2 Undergraduates refer to students enrolled in Title IV eligible postsecondary 

institutions in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. 3 Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 

This National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Data Point 

presents information on education topics of interest. It was authored 

by Xianglei Chen of RTI International. Estimates based on samples 

are subject to sampling variability, and apparent differences may not 

be statistically significant. All noted differences are statistically 

significant at the .05 level. In the design, conduct, and data 

processing of NCES surveys, efforts are made to minimize the effects 

of nonsampling errors, such as item nonresponse, measurement 

error, data processing error, or other systematic error.

7

10

10

1

2

2

21

14

13

14

13

13

42

43

39

5

6

11

9

12

13

0 20 40 60 80 100

2011–12

2007–08

2003–04

Percent

Year

STEM Social

sciences/

humanities

Personal/

consumer

services

Manufacturing/

construction/

repair/

transportation

Health

care

Business Other