According to a new report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, community college enrollment has slightly increased this spring by 0.5% or 22,000 students compared to spring 2022. This is due to a growing number of younger students, such as dual-enrolled high school students and freshmen. (Photo credit: Daniel M Ernst, Shutterstock.com)
However, undergraduate enrollment at public and private nonprofit four-year institutions are still declining at slower rates (-0.5% and -0.2%, respectively).
Overall undergraduate enrollment remained stable for the spring term (-0.2% or -25,000 students) after pandemic-driven declines began to level off last fall. In comparison, graduate-level enrollment is faring more poorly, with a decrease of 2.2% or 68,000 students from spring 2022, eroding pandemic-associated gains.
Total postsecondary enrollment is still well below pre-pandemic levels, with approximately 1.09 million fewer students overall and 1.16 million fewer undergraduates alone compared to spring 2020.
Freshman enrollment grew by 9.2% from spring 2022, with community colleges accounting for the majority of spring freshmen at 53.9%. They had the largest increases of any sector (+12.4%), leading to a spring 2023 community college freshman class that is 7.0% larger than the spring 2020 levels.
Undergraduate-level students are shifting the types of credentials they pursue, with enrollments in bachelor’s degree programs falling more steeply than associate degree programs (-1.4% or -114,000 students versus -0.4% or -15,000 students) and other sub-baccalaureate credentials showing enrollment growth (+4.8% or +104,000 students).
The report also notes that younger students are driving community college enrollment growth, with an 8.0% increase in dual-enrolled high school students (+49,000 students under age 18) and a 1.1% increase in 18- to 24-year-old enrollment. Female enrollment declined by 1.2% (-118,000 students), while male enrollment grew slightly by 0.4% or 25,000 students. Nearly all states follow the national trend, with slowing declines, stabilization, or growth over last spring.
Computer science undergraduate programs at four-year institutions reached their highest growth rate in three years (+11.6% or +62,000 students) in spring 2023. At two-year institutions, computer science enrollments are now above pre-pandemic levels, reversing three years of flat or declining numbers (+9.7% or +20,000 students). However, healthcare and education program enrollments continued to fall across two- and four-year institutions.
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