North Carolina

Overview

North Carolina is at or near the national average on several education and economic indicators, including degree attainment, college participation for young adults and the percentage of workers employed in professional occupations. Targeted investments in postsecondary education could sustain completion gains made with young adults, while providing access to older adults and minorities and increase their attainment rates.

With the University of North Carolina system, private universities and in-migration leading to substantial percentages of residents with bachelor’s and graduate degrees, the general assembly might consider ways to leverage the community college system to meet the more immediate demand for middle-skill credentials. The North Carolina Research Triangle has produced and sustained economic prosperity by leveraging the postsecondary system’s capacity to innovate in technology and the health sciences. State institutions outside of this region must develop their own strategies to align their academic programs to high-demand jobs that meet statewide needs.

Data

How does North Carolina rank compared to the national average?

Adults 25-64 with college degrees: 27th (37.9% vs. 38%)
High school graduates going directly to college: 16th (66% vs. 63.3%)
18-24 year-olds enrolled in college: 40th (33.3% vs. 36.2%)
Undergraduate awards per 100 FTE undergraduates: 46th (16.6% vs. 19%)
STEM credentials awarded per 1,000 STEM employees: 27th (54.1% vs. 54.4%)
Workers with college degrees earning low wages: 25th (24.8% vs. 22.9%)

For more information, please see the following documents:

North Carolina Data Profile

North Carolina Data PowerPoint

North Carolina is at or near the national average in most metrics, including overall degree attainment, young adult participation, and wages for college graduates. Targeted investments in postsecondary education could sustain completion gains made with young adults, while providing access to older adults and minorities. Leveraging state funds in this way might propel North Carolina into the upper echelon of states. To achieve economic growth, the state might leverage postsecondary successes with young adults and high net migration to create job density in high-demand fields.

Policies

Boosting College Completion has produced a comprehensive 50-state legislative database related to college completion and workforce development. The database will grow as we continue to collect and analyze policies.

Highlights of North Carolina’s policies:

Forgivable Loans for Careers in Shortage Areas – S.B. 137 (2011)
Prioritizing STEM Careers – S.B. 1198 (2010)
Preparing All Students for College & Careers – Executive Order No. 65 (2010)
Assessing Economic Development Needs – S.B. 1069 (2009)

Check out the BCC database for a more complete summary of North Carolina’s policies. Click on the Menu arrow for additional options, such as printing the summary.

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Analysis

Boosting College Completion has developed a policy profile for North Carolina based on an analysis of data and policies related to college completion and workforce development.

North Carolina Policy Profile

North Carolina is at or near the national average on several education and economic indicators, including degree attainment, college participation for young adults and the percentage of workers employed in professional occupations. By leveraging postsecondary investments more effectively and by aligning higher education capacity with specific workforce needs, the state’s economy could grow faster than currently projected. Conversely, relative lack of action or investment could contribute to North Carolina falling below the national average in educational and economic competitiveness. To meet the demands for highly skilled workers with either a certificate or a degree, North Carolina will need to reach beyond traditional student populations and increase attainment among adults and minority students.

The North Carolina Research Triangle has produced and sustained economic prosperity in the state’s Piedmont region by leveraging the postsecondary system’s capacity to innovate in technology and the health sciences. The private sector has coalesced around the leadership of the University of North Carolina, Duke University and North Carolina State University, and has created an economic center for skilled workers. State institutions outside of the Research Triangle must develop their own strategies to align their academic programs to high-demand jobs that meet statewide needs.

As the state considers efforts to increase postsecondary completion and leverage economic development partnerships, the legislature might:

Evaluate whether current state and institutional strategies promote on-time graduation, reduce student debt and encourage enrollees to complete degrees in high-demand fields
Develop a two-tier approach to postsecondary productivity that meets continued demand for certificates and associate degrees while working with the private sector to align bachelor’s and graduate degree production with workforce demand
Study the impact of career pathway programs and whether targeted investments would improve the advancement of low-income workers into middle-skill jobs through structured, accelerated certificate and associate degree programs
Partner with higher education leaders to boost the impact of strategies focused on developmental education and academic transfer toward increase degree completion
Examine education and workforce data to find out what college graduates are earning, the fields they are employed in and the value of their degrees to the workforce.