U.S. College Enrollment Continues to Drop, According to New Report

U.S. College Enrollment Continues to Drop, According to New Report

A study released Thursday by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shows that college enrollment is declining and falling significantly.

“Roughly two months into the second fall semester of the pandemic, postsecondary enrollment is now running 2.6 percent below last year’s level, for a total 5.8 percent drop since 2019. Undergraduate enrollment declined 3.5 percent from last fall or 7.8 percent from fall 2019. Graduate enrollment grew 2.1 percent, maintaining the upward trend from last fall (+2.7%), for a total 4.9 percent growth since 2019,” said the Clearinghouse.

For Rhode Island’s colleges and economy, the implications are significant. The implications are significant for Rhode Island as the higher education industry is a major employer and economic engine. Brown University, the University of Rhode Island, and Roger Williams University are all listed by Commerce RI among the top 25 employers in RI.

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“Undergraduate enrollment continued to trend downward across all sectors, with the steepest drops in the private for-profit four-year and public two-year institutions. Undergraduate female students declined slightly more than males (-4.1% and -3.4%, respectively). Continued enrollment losses among traditional college-age students (18-24) remain concerning (-2.6% for 18-20 and -3.3% for 21-24),” reports the Clearinghouse.

“Freshman enrollment went down again (-2.7% from last fall or -13.1% since 2019) and in all sectors, except private nonprofit four-year institutions (+2.5% from last fall),” added the report.