Infographic | Who are the Students Enrolled in Credited Continuing Education Programs?

In higher education, credited continuing education encompasses all short-term programs offered by institutions, those that do not lead to a degree and those that are components of a degree (ORES, 2024).  

The creation of these short-term programs, due in part to competition among higher education institutions (Julien and Gosselin, 2013), leads us to examine the profile of the students enrolled in them. Who are they and how do they differ from the student populations found in regular academic programs?  

This infographic provides a summary portrait of students registered in credited continuing education programs offered by colleges and universities, comparing the information shown to the data available for regular programs. It provides information to all those interested in the characteristics of these student populations, whether they are managing continuing education institutions or services, or developing programs and services for the student community.