Students Want Skills. Institutions Offer Degrees.

Students are asking for credentials that demonstrate their skills, but institutions are slow to respond.

The Findings

The Time for Class report highlights a significant disconnect between student expectations and institutional offerings. Almost 90% of students say they want to earn non-degree credentials alongside their degrees. Yet only 2% of institutions have implemented competency-based education (CBE) across all departments.

Students Want Non-Degree Credentials

Institutions Offering CBE

The Breakdown

“What we see here is this massive chasm and disconnect between what students are asking for in the marketplace and the institutional offerings,” said Dr. Ford. Students are increasingly looking for career-aligned learning that allows them to demonstrate skills throughout their academic journey.

“This idea of interim skill development and demonstration throughout the learner’s journey speaks to the overall conversation around the relevancy of higher education,” added Dr. Zone.

CBE provides a flexible and personalized alternative to traditional curriculum and term-based learning. “A learner can demonstrate competency via a series of assessments and go at their own pace,” said Catherine Shaw. “If work is busy, they may take a couple weeks off from their course, but then when they have the time, they can catch up.”

This model is especially well-suited to working adults and non-traditional learners, and institutions like Western Governors University and Southern New Hampshire University have embraced it. But for traditional college-age students, the path is less clear.

“Our data shows us that faculty can be resistant to modifying their classes to allow for students to pick up a non-degree credential over the course of the semester,” said Shaw.

The Takeaway

Students are expressing a desire for credentials that reflect real-world skills, but most institutions are not yet equipped to meet that demand. To close the gap, institutions should:

Explore scalable models for CBE across departments

Engage faculty in redesigning courses to include skill-building and credentialing opportunities

Align non-degree offerings with workforce needs and student career goals

Treat non-degree credentials not just as add-ons, but as integral to the academic experience

In Practice

Building Pathways to Opportunity Through CBE

Lacey McCann, Senior Director of CBE Products and Experience with the Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN), shares how her organization is advancing flexible, workforce-aligned learning models that empower institutions to better serve adult learners.

“CBE is especially relevant right now. People want to know that their education will lead to real opportunities.”

Lacey McCann

Senior Director of CBE Products and Experience, Competency-Based Education Network (C-BEN)