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92% of Higher Education Leaders Say Microcredentials Support Institutional Competitiveness

New study from Modern Campus and UPCEA highlights the opportunity for colleges and universities to improve enrollments and student workforce readiness

Higher education leaders across North America are highlighting the value of alternative and microcredentials to support competitiveness and enrollment growth, according to a survey conducted by the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) and The EvoLLLution, an online publication founded by higher education student engagement leader Modern Campus.

The report, "Shifting Paradigms: Understanding Institutional Perspectives on Microcredentialing," highlights the perspectives of a wide range of college and university leaders on the opportunities and challenges associated with scaling and launching alternative credentialing initiatives.

The Power of Microcredentials

Continuing, professional and workforce education have always used microcredentials and other alternative credentials to recognize student learning and ability. These credentials—which can sometimes count for credit but take less time to complete than a degree—allow students to upskill or reskill quickly.

As a result, these offerings help higher education institutions stay relevant both to employers and students. From the labor market perspective, earning alternative credentials helps students qualify for high paying middle-skill jobs at the entry level, and can also help them upskill to earn promotions and advance in their careers. And adults see the benefits. According to Strada data, 68% of adults considering enrolling in higher education programming said they prefer alternative, non-degree programs.

For higher education institutions—which experienced a decrease in undergraduate enrollments of 4.9% overall in Spring 2021 while enrollments in private, non-institutional bootcamps rose 30% in the same period—these offerings can help colleges and universities compete. 92% of survey respondents said alternative credentials help them compete with emerging entities like bootcamps, with nearly 4 out of 10 respondents saying these offerings are very or extremely effective.

Additional key findings:

• 88% of higher education leaders saynew credential initiatives are aligned with their institution’s strategic plan, with half of respondents indicating these initiatives are totally or very aligned with their strategic plan
  
  
• 79% of higher education leaders say labor and occupational data are extremely or very important to informing development of new credential initiatives
  
  
• 71% of higher education leaders say alternative credentials will help them achieve institutional revenue and enrollment goals
  
  
• 58% of higher education leaders say microcredentialsallow them to more effectively highlight students’ discrete competencies and skills
  
  
• 54% of higher education leaders say their institutions have embraced new credentialing initiatives

"Microcredentials and other alternative credentials are a key to competitiveness for higher education institutions in this fast-changing environment," said Amrit Ahluwalia, Editor-in-Chief of The EvoLLLution and Director of Strategic Insights at Modern Campus. "These programs have to be high quality because it’s what students and employers demand, but they generally don’t have to go through incredibly long accreditation processes. This means they can be launched and offered to the students who need them more quickly."

Microcredentials position higher education institutions to overcome one of the greatest critiques leveled at them, which is a lack of connectivity between programming and the needs of learners and the labor market.

"This report provides us a first real look at how higher education leaders across the industry are adopting and leveraging alternative credentialing models," said Jim Fong, Chief Research Officer and Director of the Center for Research and Strategy at UPCEA. "The new economy demands highly-skilled individuals who do not necessarily need degrees to enter or advance in their field. Microcredentials and other alternative credential options provide them the opportunity to achieve their goals, and as an industry we need to find ways to meet the needs of employers and adults—and especially of Millennial and Generation Z students."

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