Contact: Laura Osberger
lauraosberger@schev.edu
(804) 387-5191 (mobile)
February 9, 2023
For immediate release
RICHMOND — The State Council for Higher Education of Virginia (SCHEV) released four new reports today that provide updates on SCHEV initiatives designed to help the Commonwealth meet its goal to become the best state for education by 2030.
Workforce Credential Grant Annual Report: provides findings for FY 2022. This grant, the first of its kind, provides a pay-for-performance model for funding noncredit workforce training that leads to a credential in a high-demand field. The grant also includes requirements for students to complete training in order to avoid paying additional costs. One report finding shows that collectively, institutions reported 11,553 enrollments in FY 2022, a 28% increase from FY 2021 and the most since the inception of the program in 2016. Of the 11,553 enrollments included in this report, 11,429 completed training. Among program completers, 8,794 went on to earn a credential. Both of these levels are increases of more than 30% from the previous fiscal year. The rates of completions and credentials remained relatively stable at 99% and 77% respectively.
Virginia Degree Completions and Other Awards 2021-22: This report details Virginia degree completions and other awards in academic year 2021-22, with a particular focus on in-state undergraduates at public and private nonprofit institutions. In 2021-22, Virginia public and private nonprofit institutions awarded a total of 128,587 degrees and certificates, compared to 127,048 in the previous year, representing an increase of 1,539 awards. Virginia’s public and private nonprofit colleges and universities awarded 56,371 bachelor’s degrees in 2021-22, a decrease of 2,216 from the previous year (58,587). The report also includes summaries of degree- and certificate-award totals in the public and private sectors; comparisons of 2021-22 in-state undergraduate degree awards to past years and to current estimates; and analyses of progress toward the degree goals of the Top Jobs Act (TJ21), which is a step toward becoming the best state for education by 2030.
Pathways to Opportunity: The Virginia Plan for Higher Education Annual Report: The Plan identifies trends that the Commonwealth must address if it is to continue to prosper and succeed. SCHEV’s 2022 annual report summarizes the key components of The Plan and assesses progress toward its three goals (equitable, affordable, transformative) including key findings from that assessment compared to the 2019-2020 baseline findings (in the 2021 Annual Report). The annual report also highlights activities undertaken by SCHEV in 2022 that directly support The Plan’s goals and strategies.
Office of the Qualified Education Loan Ombudsman Annual Report: Among the key findings of this report include a profile of the more than 570 education loan borrowers assisted by the office in its first four years and the types of challenges they face; outreach efforts focused on promoting the Qualified Education Loan Borrower Education Course (virginiastudentloanhelp.org), which was launched in December 2021; collaborative work with other states to secure relief for borrowers; and a list of federal policy recommendations to address issues experienced by Virginia borrowers.
The full reports are available at schev.edu/reports.
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The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia is the state’s coordinating agency for higher education. With Pathways to Opportunity: The Virginia Plan for Higher Education, SCHEV is dedicated to making Virginia the best state for education by 2030. For more on this statewide strategic plan, visit schev.edu/TheVirginiaPlan.
