College Enrollment Decreases in the U.S.

In recent news, Newswire announced that the decreasing number of enrolled college students has dramatically continued. Since this spring of 2019, there has been a total decline of 300,000, or 1.7 percent. According to their sources, The Spring 2019 Current Term Enrollment Estimates report shows that two-year public institutions declined 3.4 percent and four-year public institutions dropped 0.9 percent. As a whole, public sector enrollment (two-year and four-year combined) declined 1.9 percent over the past year. The incremental descent comes from a mixture of exposures including the decline in high school graduates due to millennials having less children (i.e. the recession of 2008), the demand for certification programs rather than bachelor degrees (i.e. CourseEra, Udemy, etc.), and the support of returning the spirit of entrepreneurship within younger generations.

There are some promising notions pointed towards improvements surrounding graduate student enrollment. Graduate student enrollment increased by 54,000 across all types of institutions, or up by 2 percent. However, when associated with undergraduate student enrollment, there is still a drastic cavity that is provided in the overall figures; the 354,000 less undergraduate students is obviously a larger dent than an increase in 54,000 graduate students. As an individual pursuing an Ed.D. In Higher Education Leadership with extension research surrounding the development of institutions across all playing fields (i.e. for-profits, nonprofits, public, private, trade schools, etc.), there has not been a more critical time in our society for individuals to attain some form of an education.

Though some of the world’s most renowned corporations such as Apple & Google are hiring candidates without some form of college or vocational degree, the reality is that there will soon be a greater gap between people in upper management roles and those who are common specialists in a particular field. From my own perspective, the male populace also does not represent higher education in a respectful manner. In fact, there are approximately 212,000 fewer men and 85,000 fewer women enrolled in spring 2019 when compared to spring 2018.

The statistics below are also a daunting reality of what is to come to the world of secondary education for the next decade. These figures truly hit home for us here at Gen-Achievers since we are from the great state of Pennsylvania.

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Top states with largest enrollment decrease by number of students:

Florida: -48,363

California: -44,940

Illinois: -30,466

Michigan: -17,278

Pennsylvania: -16,853

Top states with largest enrollment decrease by percent change:

Alaska: -5.2%

Florida: -5.2%

Illinois: -5.0%

N. Dakota: -4.5%

Hawaii: -4.2%

Kansas: -4.2%

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With these decreases in enrollment across the board, be aware of the changes that are likely coming. If you have interests in attending an institution, no matter what degree you plan on receiving, research and request information pertaining to the school's enrollment numbers. This will enable you to learn more about transitions the school may go through including cutting funds for research opportunities, increasing tuition annually by more than three percent, or closing doors to unique clubs & organizations.

There are some institutions that are closing programs due to their inabilities to maintain their enrollment numbers. An institution that I know very well from working with their colleagues in the past recently closed down their Biology program. The students taking coursework who were sophomores, juniors, and seniors were required to either; 1). Pursue another degree from the university, but take additional years to graduate due to a limited number of credits transferable into another program, or 2). Transfer to another institution in hopes that they graduate on the same time-frame, but this was also difficult since institutions do not typically transfer all credits from another institution.

You'll also likely see institutions that you never heard of, or schools who typically did not expose themselves to where you live begin to pop up more on local ads, billboards, etc. Though the institution being advertised may have great programs being offered, this does not mean the school is the right fit for you. Also take note of the newly established accelerated programs institutions are creating; i.e. 3+3 DPT tracks, 4+1 M.S. Engineering/Computer Science Programs, 3+3 J.D. Collaborations, and much more - Don't let these accelerated programs attract you if they do not fit your expectations!

There is a lot more to consider with the decreases in enrollment, but it's still important to remember that the power of education has supported the growth of the U.S. for generations. Let's not dismiss this fact, even though we are going through a time of great change.

Do you see the threat of decreasing enrollment numbers effecting institutions around you? What is your perception of college & vocational degrees? We would love to hear your thoughts on any other opinions you have!