College Enrollment Spikes as Students Battle a Perfect Storm of Financial Obstacles

Rising college tuition costs, the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a disastrous FAFSA rollout have dealt a devastating blow to the financial stability of prospective college students. In a brutal irony, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reports that enrollment numbers spiked by 1.2% for the 2023-2024 academic year, following years of decline.

For low-income students, FAFSA can be a lifeline. When it didn't work, they were hardest hit.

While it's too early to tell how much of an impact tuition costs will have on the upcoming semester's enrollment, some students are already opting out of college, frustrated by the financial aid debacle. USA TODAY's investigation reveals the trends in undergraduate enrollment, highlighting who is attending college, the top fields of study, and the enduring impact of the pandemic.

A Glimmer of Hope in 2023 Enrollment Numbers:

• Undergraduate enrollment rose by about 176,000 students in fall 2023, per the National Student Clearinghouse's report.

• About 15.2 million undergraduate students enrolled for the academic year, with community colleges seeing the biggest growth, gaining 118,000 students.

• Private, for-profit colleges also experienced an enrollment boost.

• The Department of Education is yet to release its data on total undergraduate enrollment for Fall 2023.

• The pandemic's toll is evident, with a drastic 15% drop in enrollment in four-year universities and two-year colleges between 2019 and 2021, per the National Center for Education Statistics. Link

A Gender Divide:

The gender gap in college enrollment continues to widen, with women making up nearly 60% of all college students in Fall 2022, a significant increase from 56.6% eight years prior.

Fields of Study:

Business and health professions reign supreme as the most common fields of study for associate and bachelor's degree graduates, reports the Education Department. Business has been the front-runner for the past decade.

The top five most common bachelor's degrees in the 2021-2022 academic year:

• 18.2% in business
• 12.9% in health professions and related studies
• 7.7% in social sciences and history
• 6.1% in psychology
• 6.3% in biological and biomedical sciences

A Financial Aid Fiasco:

Soaring college tuition prices have become a significant barrier for many, with costs nearly doubling in two decades, per the Education Data Initiative. This, coupled with the fumbled FAFSA process, has upended the dreams of countless economically disadvantaged students.

It's clear that the battle for accessible higher education is far from over, and the financial hurdles faced by today's students demand immediate attention and radical solutions.