After large pandemic-related declines the past several years, community college enrollment grew this spring by 0.5%, or 22,000 students, compared to spring 2022. However, undergraduate enrollment at non-profit four-year institutions continued its decline, dropping 0.5% at public schools and 0.2% at private ones.
That’s the topline finding from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s Spring 2023 Current Term Enrollment Estimate report. The report, which is published twice-yearly, provides national enrollment estimates based on data from over 3,600 colleges, universities, and credential-granting programs, making up 97% of all American post-secondary institutions. It includes data on students’ degree level, institutional sector, age, gender, and major field, but not race or ethnicity.
The report found that last fall’s enrollment stabilization after several years of COVID-19-caused drops had continued, with a small decline of 0.2% (25,000 students). However, total enrollment has not made a full recovery: there are about 1.16 million fewer total undergraduates than in spring 2020.
Dr. Doug Shapiro, executive director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center
According to Shapiro, those new factors may include growing concerns about the value of a college degree or about incurring debt to get one. This may help to explain the differing fortunes of two-year and four-year institutions: students are looking to make less of a time and financial commitment. Shapiro also said that labor market factors such as low unemployment and high wages may make the costs of college seem too high for potential students, and that mental health and family concerns may also play a role.
The gains in the community college sector were driven by an 8% increase in dual-enrolled high schoolers (49,000 students). According to Dr. Thomas Brock, director of the Community College Research Center at Columbia University, colleges have made an extra effort to set up dual-enrollment partnerships with high school districts in recent years, a response to research showing the benefits of these programs, as well as to enrollment declines in other demographics. There has been a realization, he said, that dual enrollment doesn’t only benefit high achievers and that it can be an effective introduction to college for students who are uncertain about going.
Another factor in the improved community college enrollment was a 1.1% increase in 18-24-year-olds, equivalent to 24,000 students. This is part of a trend towards youth at community colleges, with the average age of a student dropping by over a year since 2019. Brock expressed concern about older learners who may be missing out.
