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Dissertation
"Some college, no credential" learners' barriers to attaining a college credential
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Drexel University
03 Dec 2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011242
Abstract
This qualitative phenomenological study examined the lived experiences of adults in the United States who earned some college credit but left higher education before completing a credential, such as an associate or bachelor's degree, a population exceeding 43 million individuals. Although extensive quantitative research documents the barriers that lead "some college, no credential" (SCNC) learners to stop out, far less is known about the state-level policies, services, and supports that might have mitigated barriers and improved credential completion. Using semi-structured interviews with seven former SCNC learners who successfully returned to higher education after stop-outs, this study explored perceived barriers, beneficial supports, and experiences navigating state and institutional resources. Thematic analysis revealed persistent, intersecting barriers related to finances, family, institutional processes, personal circumstances, and health, along with evolving motivations for reentry rooted in career advancement, serving as a role model, and personal fulfillment. Participants consistently reported limited awareness of state or institutional services or difficulty accessing them, highlighting significant communication and procedural gaps. Findings also underscored the critical role of distance learning in enabling credential completion and the perceived value of stackable credentials as an alternative to traditional degree pathways. Viewed as a composite image, the results demonstrate that SCNC learners' needs are complex, individualized, and evolving, and that their barriers often overlap and amplify one another, requiring proactive, customized institutional and state policy approaches grounded in the lived experience of SCNC learners. Study recommendations include implementing targeted state and institutional supports for SCNC learners that address overlapping barriers, expanding distance education and flexible learning pathways, and improving communication about available services. This research contributes insight into how institutions and states can design effective policies and services that promote credential attainment and strengthen workforce and economic outcomes by highlighting SCNC learners' needs in their own voices.
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Details
- Title
- "Some college, no credential" learners' barriers to attaining a college credential
- Creators
- Virginia Bagley
- Contributors
- Kristen Betts (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University
- Number of pages
- xii, 169 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Education (1997-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991022148507004721