Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021
Did enrollment in undergraduate postsecondary educational programs decline during the pandemic?
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%.
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
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