community college enrollment

2021/05/21

Required fields are marked *. Martha Parham, the senior vice president of public relations at the American Association of Community Colleges, told BestColleges in an email that enrollment has been slowly declining since the Great Recession, which started in late 2007, and that the pandemic accelerated that decline.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Enrollment at two-year schools swelled during the downturn a decade ago. I am a former university president who writes about higher education. Parham said the American Association of Community Colleges, as it analyzes the data, is concerned that historically excluded and first-generation students are disproportionately represented in the enrollment declines. Have her confirm that the situation is as she understands it. Remote instruction has worn out its welcome for many. enrollment smooths Indiana (10.7%), Colorado (9%), and New Hampshire (8.2%) showed the largest percentage gains in enrollment; Michigan (-15.5%), California (-8.1%) and Vermont and Washington (-7.2%) had the largest percentage declines. Among popular majors at two-year colleges, skilled trades program enrollment increased, including gains in mechanic and repair technologies (+11.5%, 9,950 students), personal and culinary services (+12.7%, 6,170 students), construction trades (+19.3%, 11,140 students), and precision and production (+16.7%, 7,740 students). Start by filling out the free online application for admission. If students experience some sort of issue, we find that [they] will throw their hands up and just give up, he said.

Covid is accelerating all the challenges they were facing beforehand and intensifying the competition theyre facing., Kamarree Williams still wants to end up at College of Marin, even if its online.

The one bright spot to be found in the report is that first-time, first-year enrollment by undergraduate students increased 4.2% this spring, resulting in a gain of 13,700 students.

Like Kamarree Williams, Vasquez had spent years in a college prep program in his case, the College Crusade of Rhode Island. The Maricopa staff also learned that technology was a huge barrier to enrollment when they conducted surveys and reached out to individual students stuck in the enrollment funnel. Maybe there was just one computer for the family, or not enough bandwidth, said Felicia Ganther, an associate vice chancellor with the Maricopa community college system. Alamo also waived fees for the assessment test that first-time students lacking ACT or SAT scores must take. An associate degree and a minimum grade point average may obtain GUARANTEED admission to more than 30 of the commonwealths colleges and universities. When Maricopa contacted some of those students to learn why, students complained that no one from the school had reached out to them. She is already in debt from loans in her financial aid package at a state university, where she majored in biology and found out, after two years, that she was not very good at college science courses. The biggest absolute enrollment decline was in the physical sciences, where almost 5,000 fewer students enrolled in those majors this spring compared to last. Instead, Vasquez found an overnight gig stocking freight at a warehouse and stayed home with his family. The biggest percentage drop in two-year sector majors was in security and protective services, which saw a decrease of 3.9%. We tell the whole story, even when the details are inconvenient. And one semester of tuition at this music college is $30,000. "Although there may be some signs of a nascent recovery, particularly in a slight increase of first-year students, the numbers are small, and it remains to be seen whether they will translate into a larger freshman recovery in the coming fall," Shapiro said. One of those trends is students questioning the value of higher education. Your email address will not be published. Mechanic and repair programs saw an 11.5% increase. The report notes that, aside from construction programs, those specialized programs have still not returned to their pre-pandemic enrollment levels. Even though the server responded OK, it is possible the submission was not processed. Fundraising: An Important And Fulfilling Career, During Height Of The Pandemic, This National Education Program Achieved Some Of Its Best Outcomes Ever, report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Ive always helped out. "There's a tremendous skills gap in a lot of these industries that saw increased enrollment in the report," Houck said. But its difficult with students stuck at home. Thus, teachers quit. A gateway to Virginias four-year colleges and universities! Your email address will not be published. "While I was not surprised by the report's findings, I think that enrollments continue to be an area of concern for many reasons," Parham said. Id probably keep working, to be honest, he added. But at the end of 2019, an asthma-related hospital visit and the death of several extended family members sent Williams into a depression. That said, the experience of colleges during the Great Recession offers some cause for optimism. Within that first-year group, Asian and Latinx freshman enrollment grew by 15% and +4% respectively, compared to spring 2021.

Id rather help them financially than go to college.. But that doesn't mean it's free to produce. Household expenses became more pressing when his father, a manual laborer originally from Guatemala, lost work in the spring. How bad that cycle gets depends in part on how many low-income students and students of color can emerge from the pandemic still on a path to higher education. Gonzales has patched together a set of services to help students stay afloat: food pantries; $13.5 million in new grants of up to $1,200 per semester; letting students who have paid for 12 credits take even more credits for free during the same semester; adjunct faculty reaching out to students who had fallen off the map. So she cut down to zero. He was happy with all of them, but hell take none in the spring. Williams, who is now 18, had hoped to attend the college after graduation, transfer to a four-year school and eventually own a restaurant one day. After earning an associates at a community college, he transferred to a four-year state school to finish up. They felt they were out there just floating around on their own, Gonzales said. I wasnt entirely sure if I would take a break or not when Covid hit, Williams said. Gonzales says thats not for a lack of applicants. What Made Them So Prepared? While postsecondary enrollment continued to drop across the nation, several states reported growth because, according to NSCRC officials, students enrolling in primarily online institutions based in these states have been increasing. This website uses cookies as well as similar tools and technologies to understand visitors experiences. All institutional sectors experienced enrollment declines this spring, but their severity varied considerably. After submitting the application; log in to MYBRCC within 24 hours. Then it just changed to the entire year. Houck said that, in addition to ensuring the programs are funded at the federal level, another challenge is communicating the need for these jobs. The decline was even steeper than the 3.1% decrease in undergraduate numbers seen last fall. Its sad to see people loose interest in college, though I understand its not for everyone. Hi Mary Ellen, Of the 340,000 new first-year students across all institutions in spring 2022, more than half started at a community college. Community colleges have traditionally been a refuge where recent high school graduates and adults of all ages could pick up credits and develop new skills during a poor job market. Have her explain that she was under the impression that her contract with the university was the catalog from the college and music department the year and term she transferred in. Lawrence Lanahan is the author of The Lines Between Us: Two Families and a Quest to Cross Baltimores Racial Divide. My plan originally was to just take off a semester to see if things would change, Williams said. The decrease for women is more than double the loss from the previous year, bringing the two-year, total enrollment decline to 665,000 female students. The pandemic opened my eyes more to the idea that maybe I dont have to just be following this path of go to high school, go right to college after, . Blue Ridge Community CollegeBox 80, One College LaneWeyers Cave, Virginia 24486(540) 234-9261Other VA: (888) 750-2722, Transfer of Credit Awarded from Another College/University. For Kristine Villatoro, hiking has helped assuage her grief and put her on the path of a new career. Jori Houck, a media relations and advocacy associate at the Association for Career and Technical Education, told BestColleges that the increase in CTE is due to two main factors: Enrollment in the hands-on programs had been largely scaled back due to pandemic safety measures, and the high demand for those jobs. Working and helping the family is positive and respectful to your family but enroll in college be taking 1 class a Semester. They need our help, Blurring the lines between education and workforce, Communities hit hardest by the pandemic, already struggling, could face a dropout cliff, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. Community colleges have got to get their act together. "And the labor market is still so volatile, and people are looking to upskill, reskill, or even move into a different career altogether.". Oftentimes they simply were not offered when he needed them, or there were scheduling conflicts. I read this article because I was researching the problem that my daughter is presently facing having transferred to a music college after getting an AA in music at a community college, she thought she would be graduating at the end of two years at the music college with a degree in music education. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. What Goes Wrong When Some School Board Members Dont Understand District Finances?

She made it through the fall semester and has enrolled for the spring.

We could see it on their faces before, but if theyre not on our campuses, how do we see that and know that? he said. Then she lost her job as a nanny, and her two children started online school from home. Enrollment of women dropped 4.6%, while among men the decrease was 3.3%. These barriers dont just discourage those considering enrolling in community college for the first time; theyre also making it harder for systems to keep overburdened students from pulling out. Covering Innovation & Inequality in Education. She had been assured, when she initially transferred, that she would be able to graduate in two years. Computer sciences increased by 7.8%, visual and performing arts majors were up 5.7% and psychology majors increased 4%. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Data from Strada Education Network show that aspiring adult learners are less than half as likely to see the value in additional education as they were just one year ago. Community colleges were again hit the hardest, losing about 351,000 students, a 7.8% decrease over last spring. Then there were time and money problems: retail jobs disappearing, new demands from children staying home to attend school virtually. The decline in college enrollment is worsening. Community colleges have got to get their act together, Jenkins said. I want to take some classes but not earn a BRCC degree. Im a single mom, Lee said. Luis Camacho-Bruno is so much happier pursuing his trades education than he was while working towards his engineering degree. Fill out the FAFSA form to apply for financial aid. Sometimes this can be effective, and letting a trusted faculty member in on the issue can create an alliance of students and faculty who are upset about the implementation of this policy. Its unclear how many students will decide to do so. Then he was faced with a lot of problems scheduling the courses he needed for the degree. However, despite those increases, it was only construction majors where the growth was sufficient to yield a return to pre-pandemic levels of enrollment. The cost and logistics of child care can also make or break enrollment for community college students, about 30 percent of whom are parents, according to one estimate from 2014. Added to the 3.5% drop that was seen in spring 2021, the overall two-year decline in college enrollment has reached 7.4%, or nearly 1.3 million students since spring 2020. These moves can help community colleges, pandemic or not, Jenkins believes. The prospect of in-class learning raises the specter of Covid-19 infection. If she has friends who were also affected, she should ask them to go and speak if they are willing. Angel Vasquez considered riding out the pandemic at a community college after deferring his plans to attend a four-year school. However, community colleges have been hit particularly hard, accounting for more than half of the enrollment losses. Public community colleges and four-year institutions saw a combined drop of more than 604,000 students, or a 5% decline. It marks the second straight year of double-digit declines in full-time student enrollment. His performance in his last high school classes was the final nail in the coffin. Instead of spending the fall semester watching a parade of instructors on his bedroom computer monitor, he decided to keep his job at a coffee shop and wait out the pandemic. Admittedly, Ive been in this college since fall 2016. Need help getting started or registering for classes? Anthony Cortese, an 18-year-old from Port Chester, New York, took five courses at Westchester Community College in the fall. Whether this increase augurs for anything more than a temporary turnaround in enrollment remains to be seen. Using CARES Act funding, Maricopas Phoenix College partnered with the City Council and local public schools to begin bringing free Wi-Fi to a 250-square-mile area of the city. Fall enrollment at community colleges was down 10 percent from a year earlier, according to National Student Clearinghouse data from mid-December. Among first-time applicants to the Maricopa system, 27 percent fewer ended up enrolling than in fall of 2019. The real issue is, in times of lost revenue, these colleges jack up the price and the experience gets worse. Instead, enrollment is down 16 percent. I started looking into current enrollment at both, and while the other countys college has always had a larger enrollment base, that college is now down from 15k students in 2015 to a measly 9k in 2019. The decline in first-time enrollment at community colleges was a staggering 21 percent. 2022 Forbes Media LLC. "Many of these programs were greatly impacted by the pandemic as they require more hands-on learning that was challenging during the pandemic due to social distancing, etc.". "This spring's growth was not enough to return community college freshman enrollment to pre-pandemic levels, with the current freshmen numbers still running 7.9 percent (17,000 students) below spring 2020's levels," the report reads. Davis Jenkins, senior research scholar at the Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University, applauds what he called the guided pathways approach of Alamo Colleges District. Many factors are behind the plummeting enrollment at two-year schools. Black, Hispanic and Native American first-year students showed even steeper drops in a November report, between 28 and 29 percent. Laurel Ridge Community College provides a positive, caring and dynamic learning environment that inspires student success, values diversity and promotes community vitality. By submitting your name, you grant us permission to publish it with your letter. $30 or $300 is still a barrier for our students., Related: How higher educations own choices left it vulnerable to the pandemic crisis. Community colleges are adopting a wide range of strategies to respond to enrollment drops, she said, such as improving outreach efforts to students who have dropped out and increasing advertising and marketing. It is unethical, and she should speak up. Learn More{{/message}}. You may opt-out by. "Some of our colleges are seeing increasing enrollments, while others are experiencing declines. To Carol DAmico, executive vice president for learning and policy at Strada, the pandemic has reinforced a message that community colleges should have been heeding already: that adult learners need programs with a clearer pathway to good jobs, with more nondegree courses and other short-term options to build marketable skills. Strasburg High School graduateTamika Fischer is a mom, a veteran, an employee, and a college graduate. The NSCRC is the research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse. That, plus the extra load of an internship, hurt his grades. The 18-year-old, who lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with his parents, siblings and extended family, had enrolled at the University of Rhode Island for fall 2020. Community college freshmen increased by 6,000 students or 3.1%, after a decline the previous spring of 23,000 students, a 10.7% loss. I think that's kind of a national conversation going on right now.". Enrollment of adults over the age of 24 dropped by 5.8% across all institutions, and community colleges accounted for roughly half of that nationwide decrease. During high school, he took dual enrollment courses at the two-year College of Marin. Search Credential, Professional Development, and Continuing Education Courses, 2022 Laurel Ridge Community College - All Rights Reserved. Across all sectors, men declined by more than 220,000 students. The number of full-time students at community colleges dropped by 11%, or 168,000 students, compared to spring 2021. At the Alamo Colleges District in San Antonio, Adelina Silva, the vice chancellor for student success, believes that students who feel a personal connection are more likely to stay enrolled. The community college enrollment crash caused by the COVID-19 pandemic continued into the spring 2022 semester, according to the latest report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. It took about 18 months for enrollment to surge, according to National Student Clearinghouse data. In general, enrollment declines tended to be less severe in the southern region and more steep in the midwest and northeast parts of the nation. The general rule at colleges has always been that the students graduation contract is the college catalog from the year and term in which they entered/transferred. Spencer said the switch to virtual instruction in her own courses generated way more assignments. She could have cut down to one class, but that would have jeopardized her financial aid. At The Hechinger Report, we publish thoughtful letters from readers that contribute to the ongoing discussion about the education topics we cover. At the same time, Parham noted that some community college presidents have indicated that increased wages and benefits brought on by the ongoing economic recovery may also be impacting enrollment. The crush of students returning to campus didnt happen immediately after the economy collapsed. In contrast, white enrollment increased by only .9%, and Black freshman enrollment declined by 6.5% or 2,600 students. If things dont go back to normal by the next fall semester, Ill just be forced to go back and just try to deal with distance learning.. Business, healthcare, and liberal arts continue to be the most common undergraduate majors for both four-year and two-year college students. And community colleges tend to attract those whose precarious finances have been hurt most by the pandemic, and who needed greater guidance from administrators and faculty at the very moment that those officials were stepping back from in-person recruitment and services. The total loss in community college enrollment since spring 2020 has now reached 827,000 students. By continuing to use this website, you consent to our usage of cookies and similar technologies, in accordance with our cookie policy. His parents encouraged him to stick to his plan to attend the University of Rhode Island, but Vasquez was wary of living in a dorm as the virus raged, and he wanted to contribute some income to the family. 4) Find a faculty advocate to assist her with the Deans Office and Financial Aid Office. She has just learned that the school changed her graduation requirements so that she will have to spend an extra semester there to make them up. We all try to work together.. Graduate student enrollment was off by only -.8%, a loss of slightly more than 22,000 students. Students know these advisers theyre required to meet after 15, 30 and 45 credit hours. This brings the total student enrollment loss at community colleges nationwide to more than 827,000 since spring 2020. Kamarree Williams intends to return to the College of Marin when the pandemic subsides. When Angel Vasquez is asked whether hell return to school after the pandemic, he pauses. For instance, community college enrollment for Black first-year students was down 5.8%, according to the report. Visit our virtual reception room (through Zoom) to get information, resources, or for returning students to meet with an advisor. He considered a stint at his local community college, but his girlfriend was enrolled there, and her experience during remote learning in the spring discouraged him. "I don't think we know how it will play out for the fall," Parham said. Programs focused on career and technical education (CTE) were a bright spot in the data, registering increases in two-year colleges' skilled trades. It does sound familiar. first in their families to attend college, How higher educations own choices left it vulnerable to the pandemic crisis, people who had last enrolled in a community college, American Association of Community Colleges data, OPINION: Students are coming to college less prepared during the pandemic. They could suffer potentially lifelong financial consequences.. "With the pandemic, there's been a lot of conversations about what is really valuable in terms of postsecondary education," Houck said. Distance learning was lecture-heavy during the last few months of high school. A 2019 National Student Clearinghouse report, Some College, No Degree, found that only 12 percent of people who had last enrolled in a community college between 1993 and 2013 returned to any type of degree-granting higher education institution in the next five years. College enrollment declines appear to be worsening, said Doug Shapiro, executive director, National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Community colleges also saw a disproportionate drop in the number of women enrolled, with a 9.2% drop compared to a 5.6% drop in men enrolled. Continue to work and take one class every semester until you obtain your goal! Then came the coronavirus and Zoom. The pandemic opened my eyes more to the idea that maybe I dont have to just be following this path of go to high school, go right to college after, Cortese said. Our work keeps educators and the public informed about pressing issues at schools and on campuses throughout the country. It collaborates with higher education institutions, states, school districts, high schools, and educational organizations to gather accurate longitudinal data that can be used to guide educational policy decisions. Rachelle Spencer, a 34-year-old single parent, had taken courses at community colleges for more than a year in and around Baltimore when Covid hit. A 2020 high school graduate from Marin City, California, Williams had entered an after-school college prep program, Bridge the Gap, when he was in third grade. Nearly 340,000 freshmen enrolled for the first time this spring, with almost six out of 10 starting at a community college. Decisions like Vasquezs are rattling community colleges around the country. Undergraduate enrollment decreased by roughly 1.4 million students since the pandemic began, according to the report. Precision and production programs saw a 16.7% increase, and culinary programs saw a 12.7% increase. Id rather help them financially than go to college, he said. Students who take time off have a hard time getting back on track with their studies, and we feel like this gap in their education could become a trap, said Dana Ginestet, chief program officer for the College Crusade of Rhode Island. {{#message}}{{{message}}}{{/message}}{{^message}}Your submission failed. The largest declines among the most popular majors were in liberal arts and sciences, general studies and humanities (-4.2%) and social sciences (-2.3%). Its just too much..

Enrollment of students over age 24 fell by 5.8%, compared to a 3.2% drop among traditional college-aged students (18-24) and a 2% slide among students younger than 18. Public four-year colleges reported an increase in freshmen of 7,300 students, a gain of 10.8%. Black, Hispanic and Native American first-year students. Its been the resources at ACC that kept me in.. That didnt happen. Overall, the number of first-year students at community colleges increased by 3.1% this spring, though that group experienced a 10.7% drop in spring 2021. Angel Vasquez dont become discouraged to learn during this Pandemic. NSCRC analyzes data from more than 3,600 postsecondary institutions, which represent 97% of the nations postsecondary enrollment in Title IV degree-granting institutions in the U.S., as of 2018.

Parham, likewise, said there isn't a clear picture of what enrollment will look like in the fall. You must fill out all fields to submit a letter. Public four-year college enrollment was down 3.4%. It brings the total full-time student enrollment decline at community colleges to 20.9%, or 372,000 students, since spring 2020. Advisers at Alamo are assigned by program area; they know the field a student will eventually be entering. Instead, he plans to pursue a real estate license while chasing income through side hustles like selling sneakers, schlepping for DoorDash and an e-commerce model called dropshipping. I would advise your daughter to do a couple of things: 2) Sit down with the Dean and discuss the situation. What the college is doing is NOT ok, though it is true that more and more colleges are doing this. Think of college as a lifelong learning experience and I encourage you to enroll during this Pandemic. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. It is tempting to think of this as a cash grab extra money for the school from the extra requirements that lengthen the time it takes to for a transfer student to graduate. Ive come to hate the college, and staff. Theyve got students on a plan, in a program, and the programs have been designed so that they lead to good jobs, said Jenkins, who researches community college pathway reforms that help students finish school and find good jobs.

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