Students are increasingly choosing community college or certificates over four-year degrees

Key Points

• More high school graduates are opting for a two-year degree or even shorter-term credentials.
• This year, enrollment gains in undergraduate certificate and associate degree programs outpaced bachelor degrees, according to a new report.
• Also boosting the appeal: New workforce Pell Grants aimed at helping students pay for short-term job training programs.

For years, concerns over rising college costs and student loan debt have been driving some high schoolers away from a four-year degree in favor of shorter, less expensive alternatives.

Now it’s clear that students are putting more emphasis on career training and post-college employment, as more opt for a two-year degree or even shorter-term credentials. 

The overall rate of high school graduates choosing to enroll in community college and short-term credentialing programs is rising, according to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Enrollments in undergraduate certificate and associate degree programs both grew by about 2% in fall 2025, while enrollment in bachelor’s degree programs rose by less than 1%, the report found. Community colleges now enroll 752,000 students in undergraduate certificate programs — a 28% jump from just four years ago.

Overall, undergraduate enrollment growth was fueled by more students choosing to attend community college, the report found. “Community colleges led this year with a 3% increase, driven by continued rising interest in those shorter job-aligned certificate programs,” said Matthew Holsapple, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s senior director of research.

For one thing, community college is significantly less expensive. At two-year public schools, tuition and fees averaged $4,150 for the 2025-2026 academic year, according to the College Board. Alternatively, at four-year public colleges, in-state tuition and fees averaged $11,950, and those costs at four-year private schools averaged $45,000.

To help cover that cost, most students borrow to pay for college, which has led to ballooning student loan balances. That debt load has become more difficult to manage: Around 9 million education loan holders are currently in a default status, according to a recent estimate from advocacy group Protect Borrowers.

Among those with student debt, 77% say it is a “huge burden,” and 63% say the education they received wasn’t worth the impact student loan debt has had on their overall well-being, according to a study from EdAssist by Bright Horizons.