The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education reports steady figures tied to degrees and credentials awarded during the first year of the COVID pandemic.
Officials with the CPE say the total number of degrees and credentials fell by two-tenths of a percent in the 2020-2021 academic year. But students earning these achievements have increased by 23.5% since 2015-2016.
The new brief by the public universities governing entity shows an increase in the number of undergraduate degrees among underrepresented minority students. There was also an increase in the students earning undergrad degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, and Health Sciences.
Total bachelor’s degrees at public and private institutions fell by 2.2% in 2020-21 and total graduate degrees were down by a half percent.
The annual brief tracks progress toward the Commonwealth’s goal of raising the percentage of Kentuckians with a postsecondary credential to 60% by 2030.
