Postsecondary Education Statistitics for the United States, Washington State, King County, and Seattle

What Is Postsecondary Education? | Postsecondary Education in the United States | The Cost of Postsecondary Education in the United States | Postsecondary Education in Washington State, King County, and Seattle

What Is Postsecondary Education?

Postsecondary education is a formal course of learning in which the curriculum is designed primarily for students who are beyond high school age. This includes programs whose purpose is vocational, academic, and continuing professional education, and it excludes adult basic education and vocational programs.

Postsecondary education is characterized by diversity in both the characteristics of the students and the types of institutions. Postsecondary institutions vary in terms of control (public or private), the types of degrees awarded, and if they are run on a for-profit or not-for-profit basis. Beyond these differences, postsecondary institutions have quite different missions and they provide a wide range of educational environments. For example, some institutions focus on undergraduate education while others are research universities with robust graduate programs; some have very selective entrance criteria while others are open to most anyone; and some have a religious association, while others are secular. The student makeup of postsecondary institutions varies in other ways as well. For instance, many students are in the workforce and are students second rather than primarily being students; many start immediately after high school but also many defer starting postsecondary education, and also a sizable portion come from foreign countries.

An important element of postsecondary education relates to the programs and courses of study undertaken by students. College transcripts are used to trace the top 30 courses college graduates have taken over the past 30 years to measure change and stability in college curricula. Another index shows trends in the distribution of postsecondary degrees across different fields of study.

Different from curriculum, but also important to watch are learning opportunities in postsecondary education. Indexes in the publication "The Condition of Education" look at the participation in, and the provision of, remedial education, the perceived impact on students who work while enrolled in postsecondary learning, and on distance education. Similar to elementary and secondary education, postsecondary institutions provide targeted support and certain accommodations for special needs populations of students.

Also, the faculty is a vital resource for universities and colleges. They conduct research, teach students, and also serve their communities as well as their institutions.

Finally, resource allocation attributes are matters of concern for postsecondary institutions. For instance, one index measures how the faculty allocates time spent between research, teaching, and administration and other functions.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.

Postsecondary Education in the United States

In the next decade, undergraduate enrollments are projected to continue increasing in the nation. Enrollments will rise faster in 4-year institutions as compared with 2-year institutions. Enrollments will also rise faster for full-time students as compared with part-time students, and for women as compared with men. The predominant, recurring college courses for students in the nation have remained stable over the past 30 years. For those earning a bachelor's degree in the years 1972, 1982, and 1992, 21 of the top 30 college courses were in the areas of science and mathematics, the humanities and languages, business, social science, physical education, music performance, and student teaching. Courses via distance education increased enrollments from 1.7 to 3.1 million between 1998 and 2001. 2-year public colleges accounted for roughly half of enrollments in the nation in distance education course enrollments in 2000–01.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.

National Postsecondary Completion

Overall, 43% of students beginning postsecondary schooling in 1989-90 seeking an associate's degree had garnered some degree or certificate five years after initiating their coursework. Additionally, 8% were awarded a bachelor's degree; 23.7 % earned an associate's degree; and 11 % achieved some sort of certification. Nationally, students who ended up not earning a degree attended postsecondary schooling for an average of 19 months.

Among students who began their postsecondary schooling at community college in 1989, 37 % completed a degree at some accredited institution by 1994. And 22 % of these students completed an associate's degree or a certificate at their first institute of higher learning. Those who did not receive a degree at their first institution spent an extended amount of time there – an average enrollment of 14 months.

Comparison of U.S. States by Number of People with Degree

The Cost of Postsecondary Education in the United States

The cost of attending a college or university in the United States can vary widely depending on several factors such as the type of school, the program of study, and a student's enrollment status. The following table gives examples of average costs of attendance based on the type of institution and attendance patterns.

Postsecondary Education in Washington State, King County, and Seattle

The following tables will show examples of postsecondary education statistics for the State of Washington, the area of King County, and then the city of Seattle.

Washington State

According to CensusScope.org, the attainment of postsecondary education has risen in Washington from 1990 through 2000, with the highest increase seen in the attainment of Bachelor's degrees.

King County

The King County area, including Seattle, is renowned for its highly educated labor pool and market. Both business leaders and public officials understand the need to keep the labor force geared up with useable skills to meet the markets needs. The county's emphasis on education, from pre-kindergarten through doctoral level, gives King County and Seattle a large and ready supply of stable, skilled, and productive workers. Forbes Magazine recently recognized Seattle as a national leader in the "new economy", which is based on brainpower, as compared to the "old economy", which was based on factories, materials supplies, and transportation.

King County and Seattle offers an impressive nexus of schools for post-secondary education. These include the University of Washington, 8 private universities and colleges, 8 community colleges, and 2 technical colleges.

Washington state has 39 counties, with King County being one of the largest in population. The following tables shows that this county has the highest population of individuals age 25 and over. The county ranks second in the state for the percent of this population that holds a college or professional degree as of 2000 and third for those who have earned a graduate or professional degree, according to CensusScope.org.

Washington Counties Ranked by People With College or Professional Degrees

Washington Counties Ranked by People With Graduate or Professional Degrees

King County has several types of institutions for students to choose from for their postsecondary education. While there is only one public university in the area, there are several private colleges and universities, and a number of community and technical colleges. According to the Economic Development Council of Seattle and King County, the largest percentage of students in the area attend the University of Washington in Seattle, while the next largest percentage chooses to attend community and technical schools.

Seattle

The Census reports on the level of education attained by adults age 25 and older. The elderly population grew up in a time when education attainment was typically lower, and college attendance was less widespread. As this population is succeeded by younger and increasingly well-educated cohorts, the percent of the pupulatin that has attained higher levels of education slowly increases. Not only has the number of diplomas and degrees increased, but their percentage in the population also has increased, indicating a growth in attainment greater than the relative growth in the national population.

Seattle residents are encouraged to and known for obtaining postsecondary education. According to the table below, bachelor's degrees are the most commonly completed form of postsecondary education, with master's degrees following and the distribution of these degrees is fairly equitable across genders.

Summary

Overall, the figures indicate that residents of Seattle have a higher completion rate of postsecondary education than those of the King County area or the state of Washington as a whole.