College enrollment down
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Anonymous
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I’m reading several articles that state college enrollment is down. The reasons are multiple - good job market right now, cost of college too expensive, and this generation not buying into the college route in general. If that’s the case, why do admissions seem so tight, yes even for schools outside the T20. Could this result in easier admissions for ‘23 or am I being overly optimistic?
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/college-enrollment-is-down-but-experts-say-there-could-be-silver-lining/2925922/?amp=1 |
Anonymous
| You’re being overly optimistic. Down one million students since the pandemic started? That amounts to how many per school in the top 20-100? Maybe 1. |
Anonymous
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College prof here. College enrollments are set to drop off a cliff, but the elite schools will be just as hard to get in as ever. It's already a great time to get deals on lower-profile colleges, though. Your kid can get a fantastic and cheap(er) education at a smaller SLAC, and you can bargain for tuition breaks, too. Just apply to several and then pit them against each other. They are so desperate right now because they are tuition-dependent. Ask me how I know...
https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-shrinking-of-higher-ed |
Anonymous
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Enrollment isn't down in the selective colleges, say T100-150.
However, there are hundreds of local and regional schools that are hemmoraging students. It will be a serious issue as these things ebb and flow, and having an educated populace is critical for an operational democracy. This is what the GOP wants. Uneducated, dumb populace that lacks critical thinking skills. Not how some of the most repugnant politicans went to Ivy League schools. This is all a game to them. |
Anonymous
| Darn, it looks like you need a subscription for that link. So my student doesn’t want to go to a small school. He feels like it will be too much like HS. I know that’s not true but I can’t change how he feels. Any medium SLAC desperate for average students? He was looking at U Denver but wholly cow it’s expensive and according to the calculator wasn’t offering enough merit. I told him not too apply to “miracle” tuition schools that are outside of budget. I don’t know if this is the right strategy but I figured calculator is pretty accurate. |
Anonymous
| College enrollments (overall) has been declining. However, highly selective schools have gotten more selective. Jeff Selingo’s “who gets in and why” is a great read. |
Anonymous
| Well that’s my question really- is it easier now for average students? I’m not talking high stats, highly selective schools but good state flagships that are outside of even T50. |
Anonymous
No change at state flagships |
Anonymous
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There is a SUNY campus that was down from 5k students to somewhere in the 3ks. Kids were complaining classes could no longer be offered due to lack of enrollment. It has an excellent performing arts program, but it seems other majors are dwindling.
It will be interesting to see what happens there. |
Anonymous
No. I think people are realizing what a scam it can be in some situations. I think we have allowed higher ed to sell something people don't need in every situation. You don't need college to be a administrative assistant. Just look at how expensive it is to hire truly qualified trades people to work on your house. They have an advantage because so few people go into the trade We need more vocational schools. |
Anonymous
I suspect majority in that "1Million down" were never thinking about a T20 school and likely not thinking T50. That 1M lost were likely CC/then transfer or your "basic state school" (my state has 2-3 state schools with avg SAT of 1000 or less and GPA of under 3.2--all very affordable with tuition of $7-8K, and a shoo in for anyone with a 3.5+ GPA) |
Anonymous
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I don't know. We visited a lot of northeast SLACs and even though some are lovely and are called Williams and Swarthmore, it just didn't feel like I'd want to spend $77K a year for that. The acceptance rate is supposedly 9% for those. Really? Merit aid isn't a given, and we're just out of financial aid territory. BTW, all the 8 SLACs we visited in the region were nearly all $77K. Sounds like scammy price-fixing to me. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. |
Anonymous
I concur. My oldest's college had already been planning for a big drop-off of students in 2025/2026 (pre covid). This is a T100 school (typically ranked in the 70s/80s). The largest class was the 2000 babies (so HS 2018/2019 grads) and by the time we hit the babies of 2008/2009, there simply are not as many 18year olds coming up. |
Anonymous
I agree! This is how U Denver is. Looks beautiful but at ~$65K+ and offering little merit and we don’t qualify for aid then this is just ridiculous. Who are they getting to apply! I’m not going to feel sorry for these SLAC’s that go under because they can’t adjust their business model. |
Anonymous
10:10 again. It also feels like I'm being overly critical. All these schools offered interesting courses and had beautifully laid out campuses (no A/C in a lot of dorms though). I can't put my finger on WHY none of us were enthused. For us parents, perhaps it was the price sinking in. We'd rather pay just for the courses, you know? Seems like the manicured grounds, athletic complex and all the extras are weighing down the budget here  DS was looking for small classes and a particular program, and he'd rather go to a less selective school that has that program than these beautiful SLACs, even if the classes are bigger. His preferred school is *even more expensive*, but since it's less selective, he's hoping for merit aid and the school did say that they offered some at his range of stats.
We really should be moving towards a European-style, subsidized post-secondary education, with just the academics, no frills. That way, more people will have the opportunity to receive a better education, and we might avoid election pitfalls such as our ongoing political saga. |