College Enrollment Sees Small Uptick, Still Below Pre-Pandemic Levels

Enrollment Trends:

• Undergraduate enrollment increased by 1.2% (about 176,000 students) in fall 2023, per the National Student Clearinghouse.
• About 15.2 million students enrolled for the 2023-2024 academic year, mainly at community colleges and private, for-profit institutions.
• Four-year universities saw dramatic declines since the pandemic, with an overall 15% drop between 2010-2021, per the National Center for Education Statistics.

Demographics:

• Women dominate enrollment, comprising nearly 60% of students in Fall 2022, up from 56.6% eight years prior, per the Education Department.

Majors:

• Business, health professions, and related fields are the top choices, per the Education Department.
• In 2021-2022, 18.2% of bachelor's degrees were in business, with health professions at 12.9%.

Costs:

• Soaring tuition fees price out many prospective students. Education Data Initiative notes a 179.2% rise at public four-year colleges over two decades.
• The FASFA rollout issues left low-income students without financial aid, affecting enrollment plans.

The full impact of financial aid woes on enrollment remains to be seen, but the affordability crisis in higher education continues.