Postsecondary institutions provided remedial coursework for 28 percent of entering freshmen in fall 2000; public 2-year colleges provided such coursework for 42 percent of their entering students.

Remedial education provides opportunities for students who lack the academic skills to succeed in postsecondary education. Recent studies have addressed which types of institutions provide remedial courses, how much remediation institutions allow students to take, and whether they offer credit for remedial coursework (NCES 2004–010).¹ According to these institutions, 28 percent of entering freshmen enrolled in any remedial coursework (reading, writing, or mathematics) in fall 2000. Twenty-two percent undertook remediation in mathematics, 14 percent in writing, and 11 percent in reading. Freshmen at public 2-year colleges were the most likely group to enroll in a remedial course (42 vs. 12 to 24 percent of freshmen at other types of institutions). At the 4-year level, freshmen at public institutions were more likely than those at private institutions to do so.

In addition to enrolling at higher rates, freshmen at public 2-year colleges spent more time, on average, in remediation than freshmen at 4-year institutions in fall 2000 (see table 31-2). Among institutions that offered remedial courses, 63 percent of public 2-year institutions reported that their students averaged a year or more of remedial coursetaking, compared with 38 percent of public 4-year institutions (and 17 percent of private 4-year institutions).

Among institutions that offered remedial courses, about three-quarters gave institutional credit (which does not count toward a degree) for remedial courses in fall 2000 (78 percent in reading, 73 percent in writing, and 77 percent in mathematics) (see table 31-3).² In addition, 12 to 18 percent gave degree credit (depending on subject), while about 10 percent gave no credit. In each subject area, private 4-year institutions were less likely than other types of institutions to award institutional credit for remedial courses.

Twenty-eight percent of entering freshmen enrolled in remedial courses in both 1995 and 2000, but the average length of time spent in remediation increased during this period (see tables 31-1 and 31-2). The proportion of institutions reporting that students averaged a year or more in remediation increased from 33 to 40 percent between 1995 and 2000.

¹Remedial education includes “courses in reading, writing, or mathematics for college students lacking those skills necessary to perform college-level work at the level required by the [sampled] institution.” (back to text)

²In fall 1995 and 2000, institutions reported the most frequent type of credit they gave for remedial reading, writing, and mathematics courses from among the following options: degree credit that counts toward subject requirements; degree credit that counts toward elective requirements; institutional credit (e.g., counts toward financial aid, campus housing, or full-time student status, but does not count toward degree completion); or no credit. (back to text)