12-month unduplicated headcount
An unduplicated headcount of the total number of students enrolled throughout a 12-month reporting period. Students typically included are those enrolled in any courses for credit leading to a degree or other recognized postsecondary credential, as well as those enrolled in credit-bearing courses that are part of a terminal vocational or occupational program. 27 Collages should also gather a separate headcount of students in non-credit courses – with specific counts for large-scale programs such as ABE, GED, ESOL, and continuing workforce education – as well as the number and percentage of non-credit students in each large-scale program each year that take credit courses in the subsequent year.
Because community colleges often enroll students across multiple entry points in a year, this metric can provide a more complete picture of the student body than an enrollment count taken at a single point in time (typically in the Fall). This count is a denominator for many of the rates identified across the indicator guide. Gathering information on the above metrics about non-credit students can provide a window into issues related to resource allocation, mobility of underserved students into valuable degree programs, and enrollment trends among potential groups of credit students.
While college leaders will find value in collecting data on all students, consistently disaggregating data whenever possible can reveal outcome disparities. This information is essential for colleges developing strong reform plans to improve and close disparities in student success.
- Race/ethnicity
- Gender
- Family/Personal Income
- Age
- Parent/Dependent status
- Attendance intensity
- First-generation status
- Veteran status
Students may identify with one or many of the above identities. College leaders should consider how these different identities intersect and pay close attention to these relationships and how they may influence each student’s experience.