Minnesota’s Talent Pipeline Part 2: Postsecondary Education
At the postsecondary level, per the Minnesota Office of Higher Education’s student enrollment database, 415,000 students are currently enrolled in Minnesota colleges and universities. Each year, on average, about 12,000 students relocate to Minnesota for their studies. About 11,000 students leave Minnesota annually to pursue postsecondary education outside the state; however, many of them return to Minnesota after completing their studies. Of the students who leave Minnesota, about 63% go to college in neighboring states and are likely to return to Minnesota in the long-term, according to the MN Office of Higher Education.
A Bachelor’s degree is the most common postsecondary award, comprising about 36% of all awards each year. Moreover, 23% of postsecondary awards are for an Associate’s degree, 19% a certificate, 3% a graduate certificate, 13% a Master’s degree, and 5% a Doctorate. Overall, we have seen Bachelor’s and Master’s degree completions on the rise over the past 15 years, while Associate and Certificate degrees rose through 2013 and have begun to drop off since. Explore more data on degrees awarded on the Minnesota at the Office of Higher Education website.
U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS Completion Survey via MN Office of Higher Education, Degrees Awarded in Minnesota, http://www.ohe.state.mn.us/sPages/degreesAwarded.cfm.
Several key leakage points from the postsecondary space amplify the gaps in attainment by race and ethnicity. The 2015 MN Legislature set an educational attainment goal to have 70% of the population between the ages of 25 and 44 years hold some level of postsecondary credential by 2025.
The four key measures to track to this goal are:
1) Enrollment
2) Retention
3) Persistence
4) Attainment
For the population between the ages of 25-44 years, 61.4% hold a certificate or higher degree as of 2018. According to the MN Office of Higher Education, there are dramatic discrepancies in certificate versus associate degrees and higher attainment.
First, there is an enrollment disparity. According to MN SLEDS data, just 59% of all students of color enroll in postsecondary education annually, compared to 71% of white students. In addition, students are overrepresented in certificates and underrepresented in Bachelor’s degrees and higher degrees. Second, 40% of postsecondary students of color drop out annually, compared to 30% of white students. According to the MN Office of Higher Education’s Educating the Future Report, published last year, just a 5% increase in year-to-year enrollment persistence could add 42 thousand students to the state workforce by 2025.
And finally, to meet the 70% postsecondary target by 2025, an additional 121,425 degrees are needed than what current trends would suggest. The MN Office of Higher Education estimates that 70% of these 121,425 awards would need to come from students of color completing their studies. These findings illustrate how critical it is to go beyond the overall educational attainment number and analyze the key postsecondary measures together and disaggregate data by race and ethnicity.
Our Work at the Postsecondary Level
RealTime Talent has had the opportunity to drive action around the 2015 MN Legislature postsecondary educational attainment goals. Our research team aided local and regional entities to benchmark attainment goals at the community level, including assisting the 7-county Twin Cities metro area to identify a regional target to help meet the statewide 70% postsecondary educational attainment target.
With almost a complete reach across postsecondary institutions through our advisory board members who represent the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, Minnesota Private Colleges, Rasmussen College, Dunwoody College of Technology, and the University of Minnesota, we take a systems-wide thinking approach to our postsecondary research. We have also supported our postsecondary partners to strengthen student success as they transition into careers. Our consulting ranges from enhancing student career advising through specialized job market data tool training, evaluating and developing programs that align with the local labor market needs, and supporting employer engagement strategies.
SOURCES: 1) Median (2015 -2019),MDE Analytics, State/District/School/County Enrollment, https://public.education.mn.gov/MDEAnalytics/DataTopic.jsp?TOPICID=2; 2) Median (2014-2018), MDE, 4-Year Graduation Rate, 2014-2018; 3) Median (2013-2017); MN SLEDS, Statewide, Graduates Working, 2013-2017; 4) MN SLEDS, Statewide, College Enrollment 2013-2017, http://sleds.mn.gov/#collegeActivity/orgId–999999000__groupType–state__ECODEVREGION–FOC_NONE__collegeActivityCOHORTID–2018__p–3; 5 & 6) Median (2014-2018)MDE 4-Year Graduation Rate; 7) Minnesota Office of Higher Education, student enrollment database. Not award-seeking and unavailable program type not shown in this graphic (85,363 additional enrolled); 8) Median (2015-2017) U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS Completion Survey via MN Office of Higher Education, Degrees Awarded in Minnesota, and data found at https://www.ohe.state.mn.us/mPg.cfm?pageID=2119; 9) Median (2016 & 2017)MN Office of Higher Education, Student Enrollment Data 2016 & 2017; 10) Minnesota Office of Higher Education, Educating for the Future, 2019 Update, https://www.ohe.state.mn.us/pdf/EducatingfortheFuture2019_final.pdf; 11) Median (2013-2017) MN SLEDS, Statewide, College Enrollment 2013-2017; 12) Minnesota Office of Higher Education & National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, Reaching 70 Percent Attainment Goal, 2020, Minnesota Office of Higher Education & National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, Reaching 70 Percent Attainment Goal, 2020 13) Median (2013-2017) MN SLEDS, Statewide students not tracked in-state, 2012-2016; 14) Minnesota Office of Higher Education, Educating for the Future, 2019 Update, https://www.ohe.state.mn.us/pdf/EducatingfortheFuture2019_final.pdf; 15) Ages18-64, 2014-2018, ACS 5-year Sample, Employment Sample, IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota, www.ipums.org; 16&17) 2014-2018 ACS 5-yr Estimates, Migration Status, IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota, www.ipums.org.; 18) Ages 25-64, 2014-2018, ACS 5-year Sample, Employment Sample, IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota, www.ipums.org; 19) 25) AGES 18-64, 2014-2018, ACS 5-year Sample, Employment Status, IPUMS USA, University of Minnesota, www.ipums.org; 20) OASDI Beneficiaries by State and Zip Code (2011-2018, Median)
Report released on 6/30/2020 by RealTime Talent on the INSIGHTS blog at www.realtimetalent.org. Contact Erin Olson, Research Strategist at erin@realtimetalentmn.org with any questions or inquiries.
