Colleges are experiencing an intense drop in the number of students enrolling in classes to receive undergraduate degrees, showing a trend that might not taper off with the end of the pandemic.
New data released Thursday by the National Student Clearinghouse showed that U.S. colleges and universities experienced a decline of almost 500,000 undergraduate students in the fall of 2021, keeping up with a drop that started the fall prior, NPR noted.
The National Student Clearinghouse data showed that “[c]ontinued enrollment losses in the pandemic represent a total two-year decline of 5.1 percent or 938,000 students since fall 2019.”
It added, “[u]ndergraduate enrollment alone fell by 3.1 percent or 465,300 students over last year while graduate enrollment is down less than half a percent.”
There was also a difference in the topics students are signing up to study.
The report noted, “Enrollment in each of the five largest undergraduate majors at four-year colleges fell steeply this year (Business, Health, Liberal Arts, Biology, and Engineering). Liberal Arts declined the most (-7.6%), while Computer Sciences and Psychology (the 6th and 7th largest majors) grew by 1.3 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively.”
“Among largest two-year college majors, Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting, and Related Protective Services declined the most (-7.4%), while Computer Sciences and Engineering increased,” it added.
When contrasted with numbers of the fall of 2019 before the pandemic hit, undergraduate enrollment numbers have gone down 6.6% in total, per NPR. Shapiro noted that rate is the biggest two-year decline in over 50 years.
Trades are where this nation needs folks since the majority of this nation is blue collar. Degrees are fine but the debt and less likelihood of owning or having a family is getting less than less….which hurts the country…
.IMO..
Supposed to read more and more. Hangover saturdays are rough.
joe biden is dumber than a pork chop. obviously fake education is worthless
I wouldn’t want a child of mine going to college with the bullshit they are cramming down their throats.
The colleges offer courses, students (legal adults) make the selection of those courses and pay for those courses.
There is no cramming, students select then teachers teach. 1st step of selection is by the student….so maybe thats who should be questioned 1st.
White People can’t afford to go !!!!!