The U.S. now offers over 1.85 million credentials from more than 134,000 providers, a jump from 1.08 million in 2022. This growth has been driven largely by digital badges and online course certificates, according to Credential Engine’s new 2025 “Counting Credentials” report. 

Badges, certificates, and degrees continue to make up the bulk of credential offerings. Experts stress that the value of credentials depends on systems that recognize and verify them, ensuring they translate into real-world advantage. 

To learn more about trends within the U.S. credential landscape, read the full report.

The December/January issue of the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) Community College Journal is now available online and in print through subscription. A featured publication by AACC, this journal provides contemporary information, insights, strategies, and connections for those in academia, industry, government, and workforce development.

The latest issue highlights community colleges' efforts to:

• Address rural healthcare shortages by training and retaining nurses
• Expand programs for truck drivers to meet growing workforce needs
• Connect curricula more strongly to employment and opportunity 

AACC's December/January publication of the Community College Journal can be accessed online here, and archived issues can be viewed in AACC’s library.

The 50th annual American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Conference for Industry and Education Collaboration (CIEC) will take place February 3–6, 2026, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Organized by ASEE’s Cooperative and Experiential Education Division (CEED), College Industry Partnership Division (CIPD), Continuing, Professional, and Online Education Division (CPOED), and Engineering Technology Division (ETD), the conference brings together educators, government representatives, and industry professionals to build effective and sustainable partnerships.

Attendees will be able to engage in poster sessions, workshops, training programs, keynote presentations, and panel discussions. The theme for 2026 is “Transforming Tomorrow Together.”

For more information or to register, visit ASEE’s website.

The U.S. National Science Foundation has announced a $30 million investment to establish NSF EPSCoR Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) across the states of Montana, Idaho, and Louisiana. These new centers will seek to expand research efforts, deepen STEM knowledge, and strengthen workforce development in priority areas, including semiconductors, nanotechnology, and biotechnology.

EPSCoR CRESTs will act as research hubs that also aim to attract and prepare more students for careers in STEM disciplines.

• Montana: Montana Technological University will launch a center focused on converting local biomass, such as beetle-killed trees, into biochar and renewable energy sources.
• Idaho: Boise State University will establish the a center integrating semiconductor science into classroom experiences to advance workforce preparation.
• Louisiana: Lousiana State University (LSU) New Orleans and Shreveport will create centers for adaptive nanotechnology and biotechnology.

To learn more about this recent investment, visit NSF's website.

A new analysis from the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center highlights the continued influence of dual enrollment on college completion, particularly within community colleges.

For the 2019 cohort at public two-year institutions, students who entered with dual-enrollment credits achieved a six-year completion rate of 57%, far outpacing the 39.6% rate of those without early college coursework.

Despite the strong outcomes among dual-enrollment students, the national six-year completion rate for community colleges held at 43.9% for the most recent cohort, matching the previous year's. This still represents an increase from 2008 levels. 

To explore additional breakdowns by state, demographic group, and enrollment status, view NSC Research Center's full report.

Registration is now open for the American Association of Community Colleges' (AACC) annual Workforce Development Institute (WDI). The conference will be held January 28 through January 31, 2026, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

WDI will bring together community colleges faculty, industry leaders, and government partners committed to developing and strengthening the national workforce pipeline. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage with plenaries, exhibit halls, speakers panels, and executive-listening sessions across a variety of topic pertinent to community colleges and workforce development. Pre-conference programming is also available. 

To learn more or to register for AACC's 2026 Workforce Development Institute, visit the conference's website.

A new College Board report shows that the average published tuition and fees for in-district, full-time students at public two-year colleges in 2025–2026 reached $4,150, an increase of $110 from last year.

State-level prices varied widely, from $1,440 in California to $8,900 in Vermont, and only nine states saw no change or increases of less than 1%.

To learn more about trends in college tuition and financial aid, read the full report from College Board.

Supported by Google Cloud's Career Launchpad in collaboration with the National Applied AI Consortium (NAAIC), the free virtual event, "Google's Generative AI Leader Training and Certification," will be held on January 16 and 23, 2026. Sessions will cover the fundamental principles of artificial intelligence (AI), current AI offerings, strategies to improve the output of generative models, and relevant AI-informed business strategies. Completion of the training program will prepare community college faculty for the Google Cloud Generative AI Leader Certification.

Virtual Training Sessions

• Session 1: January 16, 2026, 10:00AM to 4:30 PM EST
• Session 2: January 23, 2026, 10:00AM to 4:30 PM EST
• Office hours (optional): January 30, 2026, 2:30PM to 4 PM EST

To learn more or to apply for the training program, visit the NAAIC website.

The October/November issue of the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) Community College Journal is now available online and in print through subscription. A featured publication by AACC, this journal provides contemporary information, insights, strategies, and connections for those in academia, industry, government, and workforce development.

The latest issue highlights:

• Trends surrounding community college-awarded bachelor's degrees.
• Succession strategies for future community college leaders.
• Impact of the 2012 "Reclaiming the American Dream" report from the 21-Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges.

AACC's October/November publication of the Community College Journal can be accessed online here, and archived issues can be viewed in AACC’s library.

According to a new DataPoints article from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), public community colleges awarded more than 1.52 million credentials in 2023–24, showing a steady rebound since the pandemic. Short-term credentials, defined as programs lasting less than a year, rose 27% between 2017–18 and 2023–24.

The average student now earns about 1.34 credentials annually, reflecting growth in stackable or sequential credentialing pathways. Meanwhile, associate degree awards dipped from their 2020–21 peak but saw a modest recovery in 2023–24.

To learn more about enrollment trends across credential types, read the full DataPoints from AACC.