And it couldn’t come at a better time for community colleges. Community college enrollment has been steadily declining since peaking in 2010, after the Great Recession. In this article, we examine that decline and what clues community college enrollment trends during the recession can offer. We’ll then explore the changes in community college enrollment brought on by the pandemic and conclude by looking at how community colleges can prepare for a potential influx of new students.
The Great Decline in Community College Enrollment
Overall, community college enrollment grew rapidly during the first decade of the 21st century . Community college enrollment growth rates, however, were not evenly distributed. Between 2001 and 2002, enrollment increased by 5%. This rate increased to an average annual increase of 0.7% between 2002 and 2006. Between 2006 and 2010, however, community college enrollment increased by about 20.3%, or 4.8% per year.
This spike in enrollment was largely driven by the Great Recession. According to a report titled Completing College: A National View of Student Graduation Rates - Fall 2008 Cohort by the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center, researchers found that community college enrollment increased largely because of older students continuing their education.
According to the CNS Executive Director During the Great Recession, our data showed that the impact on higher education institutions was not immediate; community colleges and for-profit institutions saw the largest increases in enrollment, especially among older students who arrived later in the recession. Students aged 25 and older were motivated to enroll in community colleges to upgrade their skills and/or move into new fields.
Interestingly, the Great Recession did not have a significant impact on enrollment rates for students ages 18 to 24. Community college enrollment rates for these philippines number whatsapp students increased before plateauing between 2009 and 2011, only to decline again. The NSC report also found that while enrollment rates peaked during the recession, completion rates declined. The decline in completion rates was greatest among older students. This is because once the job market began to improve, more students left school to return to work.
Since peaking in 2010, community college enrollment has declined significantly. Between 2010 and 2017, community college enrollment fell 11.9 percent. Yet low unemployment rates tell only part of the story. Another major challenge facing community colleges is the decline in the number of students graduating from high school in some regions. For example, New England is projected to see a 10 percent decline in the number of high school graduates between 2013 and 2023.
A decline in enrollment has a trickle-down effect that impacts community college business models. Colleges face increasing pressure from lawmakers to improve graduation rates and the number of students who transfer to four-year colleges and universities. Yet these institutions lack the funding to offer the same level of programs and, in many cases, cannot do so. Unable to offer a broad range of programs, potential students go elsewhere.
But with the fundamental changes to daily life brought on by the pandemic, should community colleges, barring a Great Recession, see such a large increase in enrollment?
