What is the looming enrollment crisis?

The "enrollment cliff" refers to the dramatic drop in the college-age population beginning in 2025. Forecasting the number of college-age youths is a relatively simple task. Take the birthrate of a given year and fast forward 17 and 18 years — when most kids start college.

What is causing the enrollment cliff?

Students are not being engaged early enough.

As many students consider more affordable options or delay higher education, underserved students with limited college prep resources are abandoning the prospect of attending college at much higher rates.

What is causing the decline in college enrollment?

One factor behind falling college enrollment is a shrinking U.S. birth rate. Tuition inflation might be another factor behind the college enrollment decline. In a 2022 BestColleges survey, more than 6 in 10 Americans said that the financial burden of earning a degree made college inaccessible.

What is the college enrollment trend in 2023?

Preliminary enrollment data for fall 2023 largely brought good news to colleges and universities. Undergraduate enrollment rose 2.1% compared to the year before, with all major institutional sectors enjoying increases, including four-year institutions and community colleges.

What is the trend in enrollment in higher education?

Graduate enrollment increased by about 0.7 percent, buoyed by a 5.6 percent increase in graduate certificate programs and reversing a downward trend in 2022. Community college enrollment rose 4.4 percent, accounting for 58.9 percent of the undergraduate increase.

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Is higher education enrollment declining?

Between 2019 and 2022, enrollment in UC, the state's most selective public university, increased by 2%, while CSU experienced a 6% decline. CCC enrollment dropped by 17%—accelerating a trend driven by stalled population growth, K–12 enrollment declines, and a strong labor market, among other factors.

Is college enrollment declining?

College enrollment among young Americans has been declining gradually over the past decade. In 2022, the total number of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in college was down by approximately 1.2 million from its peak in 2011. Most of the decline is due to fewer young men pursuing college.

What is the enrollment cliff?

The "enrollment cliff" refers to the dramatic drop in the college-age population beginning in 2025. Forecasting the number of college-age youths is a relatively simple task. Take the birthrate of a given year and fast forward 17 and 18 years — when most kids start college.

What is the trend in college enrollment in USA?

Overall enrollment is now 2% higher than the fall 2022 semester and 1% higher than in fall 2021. The NSCRC report is based on data as of September 28, 2023. It covers 9.6 million undergraduate and graduate students, as reported by about 1,500 institutions, or 55% of all those that participate in the clearinghouse.

Are less people going to college 2023?

I am a former university president who writes about higher education. Overall college enrollment fell about . 5% in spring 2023 vs. spring 2022, a loss of about 93,000 students overall.

Why are colleges struggling?

About 95% of U.S. colleges rely on tuition, according to Franek, meaning they rely on money from students to operate. Dwindling enrollment numbers mean less money, fewer student offerings and eventually a shuttered institution.

Why is low college enrollment bad?

Fewer college graduates could worsen labor shortages in fields from health care to information technology. For those who forgo college, it usually means lower lifetime earnings — 75% less compared with those who get bachelor's degrees, according to Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce.

Are more people going to college than before?

College enrollment totaled 15.44 million undergraduate students nationwide in fall 2021, a 21% decline year-over-year (YoY). The number of total enrolled postsecondary students declined 4.9% from 2019 to 2021, the most significant rate of decline in enrollment since 1951.

Why do colleges reject overqualified students?

Schools Are Worried About Their Yield Protection

Some college experts believe that schools reject overqualified students to protect their yield rate. A school's yield rate is the percentage of accepted students who end up attending a school.

What is the 2025 Cliff?

By now we all know about the demographic cliff: the number of traditional college-aged students will peak in 2025 and then decline dramatically for several years. What is less well-known is that the percentage of 18- to 24-year-olds choosing to attend college reached its peak years ago and continues to decline.

What is the number one hardest college to get into?

Niche, a ranking and review site, recently published its list of the “2023 Hardest Colleges to Get Into.” Using data from the U.S. Department of Education on various colleges' acceptance rates and SAT/ACT scores, they found, unsurprisingly, Harvard University to be the most difficult college to get into.

What college do most successful people go to?

Many successful people have attended Ivy League or Ivy-like schools for a variety of reasons. These institutions often provide rigorous academic programs, access to influential networks, and a strong alumni base that can open doors for their graduates.

What is the most prestigious college to attend?

Harvard University

This Ivy League school is the oldest higher education institution in the country and has the largest endowment of any school in the world. Harvard University is a private institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston.

What is the college enrollment trend in fall 2023?

For instance, first-year enrollment tanked in fall 2023, dropping 3.6% year over year and nearly reversing gains made in fall 2022. Shapiro said those declines were concentrated at four-year colleges. First-year enrollment fell 6.1% at four-year public institutions and 4% at private nonprofits.

What are the college admissions trends in 2024?

Expect some schools to experiment with video essays, virtual interviews, and portfolio reviews to better understand what makes the applicant distinctive. Review processes will likely be more holistic at many schools, assessing personal talents, stories, diversity factors, and grit alongside the algorithm's score.

What happened to Becker College campus?

The school is renting the former Becker College building from the city, which purchased the building when Becker permanently closed. After Becker College closed in the fall of 2021, the city of Worcester and a local developer bought the properties that made up the small liberal arts school.

Why are less men going to college?

Some potential students can't afford it, some don't need it for their career goals and others just don't want to. Roughly a third of men surveyed gave the latter explanation. Not forming a post-high school plan before graduation is a common reason Ferris High School college and career counselor Dawn Hilsendeger sees.

What percent of Americans go to college?

As previously stated, around 44% of Americans 25 and older have attended college and completed their degree programs. The grand majority of these degree-holders possess a bachelor's degree. 35% of those over 25 have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Are colleges hurting for students?

Enrollment declines and underfunding have hit the higher education system hard. Post-pandemic, a number of colleges are in financial jeopardy. Deep cuts in state funding for higher education have pushed more of the costs on to students and paved the way for significant tuition increases.