The reason behind the sharp decline in the number of college enrollments in the United States

There are fewer and fewer students in American universities, not because some students are expelled from American universities or suspended, but because the number of new students is decreasing. According to the latest data released by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center in the spring of 2024, the number of students admitted to universities in the fall of 2024 is nearly 200,000 less than in 2023. Doug Shapiro, director of the Clearinghouse Research Center, said: “A lot of college students are losing.” This is not the first year that freshman enrollment data has shown a downward trend. In the past eight years, the national college enrollment rate has dropped by about 11%. Different educational institutions, including private schools, public schools, community colleges and liberal arts schools have this trend. Moreover, the decline in the number of students is almost a fatal blow to some small private colleges, and some small schools have been forced to close. Many people believe that the economic factors have caused the continuous decline in college enrollment for many years. The last time the enrollment rate of American colleges rose was at the end of the recession, in 2011. As the economy improves and the unemployment rate drops (currently 4.3%), more and more people leave college or postpone college and start working. When the recession hit a decade ago, the situation reversed: Many people, especially seniors, went back to college. College enrollment has risen to record levels, and in some ways, the current downturn is just “colleges returning to historic enrollment levels,” Shapiro said. Plus, the U.S. population is changing. The number of high school graduates has remained flat and, in some cases, declined, thanks to a drop in birth rates about 20 years ago. Those numbers are expected to fall, so the trend of fewer high school students isn’t going away anytime soon. Finally, there’s the cost of college. States are investing less money in higher education, which has led to an increased reliance on tuition. As tuition rises, grants and scholarships can’t keep up, which pushes the cost of college down to students and their families. Without government investment, institutions rely on tuition, and families have a heavier burden. Even families who can afford it wonder if the investment in education is worth it.