College enrollment had been dropping nationally even before the pandemic, however, the enrollment crisis at U.S. colleges and universities has deepened in Spring 2022.
This year 662,000 fewer students enrolled in undergraduate programs than last year, representing a decline of 4.7 percent. Also, Graduate and professional student enrollment declined 1 percent from last year.
Since enrollment figures are declining, student debt and college costs are now raising concerns, causing doubts about the value of college and keeping students away.
Change in College Enrollment in Spring 2022
Data shows that total postsecondary enrollment in all sectors, including both undergraduate and graduate students decreased by 4.1%, - equal to about 685,000 students. In terms of public 4-year enrollment, there is a national decline of 0.9%, 239,720 fewer students than in 2020.
Enrollment rates on race/ethnicity groups showcase black students as the only group with declining numbers, -1,90% this year. Whereas, Asian students have lifted enrollment in public 4-year institutions by 29.40%.
In terms of majors, Communications Technologies and Agriculture Sciences are the degrees with the highest increase in enrollment, in contrast with Science Technologies and Foreign Languages which had the highest decline in 2022.
Methodology
Scholaroo analyzed college enrollment figures of all sectors from Spring 2020, Spring 2021, and Spring 2022. The data was broken down by state, ethnicity groups, and degrees to showcase graphic representations.