College Enrollment Continues to Fall. NewsWire

NewsWire: 11/10/21

• A year after college enrollment first plunged due to the pandemic, enrollment numbers continue to slide. Undergraduate enrollment for fall 2021 fell another 3.2% YoY. (The Washington Post)
• NH: College enrollment continues to decline. According to the National Student Clearinghouse, undergraduate registration for fall 2021 fell -3.2% YoY. That’s a -6.5% drop from fall 2019. (See “College Enrollment Fell for 2nd Consecutive Year.”) 
• Over the last two years, where has enrollment fallen the most? By college type, the largest drop has been among public 2-year schools, down a whopping -14.1%. By credential type, the largest drops have been among those seeking 2- to 3-semester undergraduate certificates (-8.4%) and 2-year associate’s degrees (-14.1%).
• There have been a few exceptions to the trend. Enrollment at highly selective schools has risen +1.4% from 2019. And registration in graduate programs has risen +5.3% from 2019. 
• Nevertheless, the continued overall slide in enrollment indicates that this isn’t just a pandemic-induced blip. We don't know what these people are doing instead of college. But some may be taking advantage of the red-hot jobs market. Employers desperate for workers are increasingly willing to forgo formal credentials. And that could explain the large drop at 2-year public schools. If this is indeed happening, I suspect many of these youths will bypass college altogether.