Thinking & Advocacy
Community colleges have long been engines of opportunity, designed to meet students where they are and propel them toward meaningful, economically sustainable futures. Today, as the landscape of higher education evolves and more learners seek flexible, skills-focused pathways, colleges are uniquely positioned to demonstrate their continued relevance and impact. By leaning into one of the things that sets them apart — noncredit programs that are adaptable, affordable, and aligned with workforce needs — community colleges can elevate these offerings, integrate them more fully into institutional structures, and drive stronger access, enrollment, and economic mobility that fuels vibrant communities.
A rising demand and clear opportunity
Student motivations are clear: 84% of current or prospective students cite employment-related factors as their primary reason for enrolling in higher education (Lumina, The State of Higher Education 2024). More and more students are seeking education that directly connects to employment, prioritizing a return on investment, credentials with labor market value, and flexible options that fit alongside work and life.
According to the American Association of Community Colleges, 4.1 million students are enrolled in noncredit programs, representing nearly 40% of all community college enrollment. (AACC, Fast Facts 2025). These students are often adults who are upskilling, changing careers, or reentering the workforce: They are choosing noncredit programs for their affordability, speed, and direct link to employment.
Noncredit programs also offer a timely response to growing skepticism about the value of college. Only 36% of Americans express strong confidence in higher education (Gallup, July 2024), a 20-point decline since 2015. By providing practical, affordable, and workforce-aligned pathways, these programs help restore trust by showing that higher education can be responsive to both student goals and labor market needs.
Connecting noncredit to community vibrancy
Noncredit programs can closely align with Achieving the Dream’s Community Vibrancy Framework, which positions colleges as hubs of learning, credentialing, and economic and community advancement. Noncredit offerings help colleges respond to community needs by expanding access and fostering on-ramps to economic mobility, particularly for those left behind by traditional systems.
Because they typically remove common barriers — such as higher testing requirements, longer time commitments, and higher costs — noncredit programs often engage adult learners, immigrants, justice-impacted individuals, and others historically excluded from higher education. Their short duration and lower costs can give some students an easier entry point into employment.
Noncredit offerings also help students build early momentum. For many, these programs represent their first successful college experience, which can boost confidence and open the door to continued learning, particularly if colleges have built clear, supported pathways from noncredit to credit-bearing programs. Without them, some students risk being stuck in low-wage roles, even after completing a noncredit credential. Strong pathways enable students to move toward degrees, higher earnings, and long-term advancement while also strengthening the college’s role in talent development.
Ultimately, the benefits of noncredit education extend beyond individual students. As more students move into well-paying jobs, families gain financial security, and communities benefit from a more skilled and resilient workforce. When aligned with broader student success efforts, noncredit programs can lay the foundation for economic mobility and help build thriving, resilient communities.
Addressing structural barriers
Despite their value, noncredit programs often face institutional challenges that limit their impact. These offerings are frequently siloed, with reporting lines separate from academic affairs, resulting in fragmentation of strategy, communication, and support. Federal workforce funding, which powers many noncredit divisions, such as the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), introduces different accountability systems, complicating alignment with credit-bearing programs. Even the terminology varies; noncredit, continuing education, and cross-credit are all used, creating confusion across and within colleges.
These disconnects directly affect students. Many noncredit learners lack access to advising, financial aid, or tutoring, and few colleges offer clear pathways from noncredit to credit programs. As a result, students may earn a credential but remain in low-wage jobs with limited options to advance. Strengthening these pathways is essential to making noncredit a true bridge to economic mobility.
Building on what works
Many colleges are already taking steps to better integrate noncredit programs into their broader student success strategies. At Achieving the Dream, we’re supporting these efforts through services that help colleges do the following:
- Develop “one front door” models to streamline student access to support services across credit and noncredit
- Create strategies so students can move seamlessly between noncredit and credit
- Embed workforce credentials into all levels of college offerings
- Use labor market data to design and improve program pathways
These innovations ensure colleges can truly support noncredit students and help them move along a viable pathway.
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Vance-Granville Community College’s “One Front Door” Approach
Vance-Granville Community College has embraced a “One Front Door” approach to create a more inclusive and student-centered experience. Guided by the belief that “a student is a student,” the college developed student personas to better understand how students entering the college in different ways experienced the onboarding process. Their new “One Front Door” approach simplifies the enrollment process and connects students to comprehensive support services, fostering a sense of belonging and community, regardless of where a student enters the college.
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A vital pathway to community vibrancy
Noncredit education is not a side door but a direct path to economic opportunity. For community colleges, investing in noncredit is about expanding access to more students and creating stronger pathways to economic opportunity. When noncredit programs are fully embraced and integrated, community colleges move closer to realizing the full promise of postsecondary education as a driver of economic and social vibrancy.