National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s study finds that Spring 2021 undergraduate enrollment is down 5.9% compared to the same time last year. Enrollment in community colleges declined the most, with a -11.3% decrease in enrollment compared to fall 2020.
But what is an interesting trend is the 4.4% INCREASE in students enrolling in graduate school. Master’s degree enrollments are up 5.2% and doctoral degree enrollments are up 3.6%.
When looking specifically state–by–state, undergraduate enrollment increased in only three states: Nebraska (+1%), Utah (+0.9%) and West Virginia (+0.6%). Twenty five states declined more than the national average (-5.9%)! Enrollment in undergraduate programs in Alaska, Delaware, New Mexico, Oregon, and South Dakota declined the most.
Good Apples NYC’s “Talking College Search” online course mentions community colleges as another option after high school. Community colleges offer certificate programs and also are where full–time students can earn an Associates Degree in two years. They are much cheaper than colleges that offer four–year Bachelor’s degrees. The cost to attend community colleges is much lower because state governments subsidize two–year colleges so that they don’t burden students with the expense that comes from running a school. Students can transfer to four–year colleges after earning their AA. With the 60 or so credits from the Assoicates degree in their pocket, these students are halfway to a Bachelor’s, saving money on tuition. A high grade point average from a community college makes students appear a better academic candidate than they did in high school — especially important for adult students starting college years after high school.
So it is problematic if this decline in enrollment in community and undergraduate colleges continues once the COVID-19 pandemic wanes and the spread of the virus is more controlled.
“The continuing slide in community college enrollments is of great concern,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director, National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “In a sign of potentially long–lasting impact on the level of skills and credentials in the workforce, there is still no age group showing increases at community colleges, even after a full year of pandemic and related unemployment.”
The research found that the number of students enrolled in associate degree programs declined 10.9% and bachelor’s degree enrollment declined 2.2%. The biggest decline was in the 18-20 year old age group that usually makes up most the undergraduates. That age group declined in community colleges by 14.6%!
Not surprisingly, enrollment in online programs increased during the pandemic year. Males enrolled at a 3.5% increase and enrollment of female students in online schools went up 1.4%.
All ethnic groups saw a drop in undergraduate enrollment, with Latinx and Native American enrollment declining the most.
So what programs did attract the students? In community colleges, the most popular concentrations were in health professions. Four–year undergraduate colleges also saw increase in health and clinical services majors, but the psychology, computer science and education departments saw more enrollment. On the graduate level, enrollment in MBA programs increased after experiencing a decline in previous years. Master’s programs in science and engineering increased. Education is also more popular, especially doctorate programs.
What conclusions can we make from this new report? Why was there a decline in enrollment of the traditional college age students (ages 18-20)? We have to assume that all who did not enroll this year thought it was more practical to join the workforce — but people who already have bachelor degrees went back to school for higher degrees. This report studies enrollment in the 2019 and 2020 school years and uses preliminary information of enrollment through February 2021. Final numbers will be reported in June. We will have to follow this for a couple of more years to see if it’s pandemic–related or if there’s a real new trend in college education.
Watch that space…