Click to Enlarge
Dear Commons Community,
According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, college enrollment fell 2 percent in 2012-13, the first significant decline since the 1990s. Most of the decline is due to the fact that the number of Americans turning 18 hit its recent peak in 2009, and will continue to decline through 2016. In addition, with the improvement in the economy, job prospects are better, making college a less attractive option. The New York Times reports that:
“…nearly all of that drop hit for-profit and community colleges; now, signs point to 2013-14 being the year when traditional four-year, nonprofit colleges begin a contraction that will last for several years. The college-age population is dropping after more than a decade of sharp growth, and many adults who opted out of a forbidding job market and went back to school during the recession have been drawn back to work by the economic recovery.
Hardest hit are likely to be colleges that do not rank among the wealthiest or most prestigious, and are heavily dependent on tuition revenue, raising questions about their financial health — even their survival.
“There are many institutions that are on the margin, economically, and are very concerned about keeping their doors open if they can’t hit their enrollment numbers,” said David A. Hawkins, the director of public policy and research at the National Association for College Admission Counseling, which has more than 1,000 member colleges.
The most competitive colleges remain unaffected, but gaining admission to middle-tier institutions will most likely get easier.
Colleges fear that their high prices and the concern over rising student debt are turning people away, and on Wednesday, President Obama again challenged them to rein in tuition increases. Colleges have resorted to deeper discounts and accelerated degree programs. In all, the four-year residential college experience as a presumed rite of passage for middle-class students is coming under scrutiny.”
Here at CUNY, we have begun to see enrollment declines particularly in graduate programs.
Tony
