logo
Brief Publisher Logo
FACT BRIEF

Did enrollment in undergraduate postsecondary educational programs decline during the pandemic?

By EconoFact
View this fact brief on EconoFact
Copy link
email
Copy featured image
email
YES

Enrollment in undergraduate college programs normally increases during a recession. However, the opposite happened during the COVID-19 pandemic and recession: postsecondary enrollments fell during the Fall of 2020, especially at two-year colleges. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, Fall 2020 undergraduate enrollments fell 3.6% below those of the prior year. Losses were especially large among students seeking associate degrees (8.4%) and those attending public two-year institutions (10.1%). Declines in Black and Native American enrollments were particularly pronounced, declining 7.5% and 9.6% respectively. By contrast, primarily online institutions — those at which at least 90% of pre-pandemic students enrolled exclusively online — were well positioned for the pandemic and saw undergraduate enrollments increase 4.9%.  

See a full discussion of this at EconoFact
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
National Student Clearinghouse Current Term Enrollment Estimates - Fall 2020
National Student Clearinghouse Undergraduate enrollment revised downward as more colleges report to the Clearinghouse
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
EconoFact
EconoFact is a non-partisan publication designed to bring key facts and incisive analysis to the national debate on economic and social policies. Launched in January 2017, it is written by leading academic economists from across the country who belong to the EconoFact Network. It is published by the Edward R. Murrow Center for a Digital World at The Fletcher School at Tufts University.
FACT BRIEF BY
Brief Publisher Logo
Latest fact briefs
facebook
twitter
email
email
About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.