Higher education has long been seen as the way to get a good job. Many job descriptions explicitly list a college degree as a prerequisite. Despite this, student enrollment in undergraduate programs has been gradually falling for the past decade, with the coronavirus pandemic giving it an
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Since fall 2019, overall undergraduate enrollment at US colleges fell by 6.6% to just a little over 14.4 million full- and part-time students, according to the nonprofit National Student Clearing House Research Center. That equates to more than 1 million fewer students than two years ago.
Public colleges and universities offering four-year bachelor's programs and private for-profit schools have all experienced a decline in student numbers. Community colleges, which mainly offer two-year associate programs and often serve low-income students, students of color and older students, have been hit the hardest, with a 13% drop in enrollment.
But if schooling is so important, why are fewer students signing up? And what does this mean for their future and the economy?
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Since fall 2019, overall undergraduate enrollment at US colleges fell by 6.6% to just a little over 14.4 million full- and part-time students, according to the nonprofit National Student Clearing House Research Center. That equates to more than 1 million fewer students than two years ago.
Public colleges and universities offering four-year bachelor's programs and private for-profit schools have all experienced a decline in student numbers. Community colleges, which mainly offer two-year associate programs and often serve low-income students, students of color and older students, have been hit the hardest, with a 13% drop in enrollment.
But if schooling is so important, why are fewer students signing up? And what does this mean for their future and the economy?
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