New report sees a boost in undergraduate enrollment on college campuses

Research released Wednesday suggests fall undergraduate enrollment on college campuses across most of the nation rose for the first time since before the covid-19 pandemic, ending a slump that has strained many institutions.

But while more than two-thirds of states saw overall gains, others — including Pennsylvania — continued as a whole to decline.

The latest numbers from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center show overall undergraduate enrollment grew by 1.2%, or 176,000 students.

Growth was most pronounced at community colleges, continuing a trend of more interest in shorter-term study, including work toward associate’s degrees.

Community colleges gained 118,000 students, or 2.6%, replacing sharp student losses during covid-19.

Public and private nonprofit four-year institutions both saw smaller increases of 0.6%, or 38,000 and 16,000, respectively, according to the center’s Current Term Enrollment Estimates report.

It appears undergraduate numbers “have finally turned a corner, after years of decline,” said Doug Shapiro, executive director of the Herndon, Va.- based research center, speaking Tuesday on a call with reporters.

“I’m sure there are many colleges hoping that they have finally seen the bottom and are now starting to recover,” he said. “But we’re still in a deep hole.

“That total number of undergraduates is over a million fewer than the number enrolled five years ago in 2018. It’s a decline of 5.5%.”

Graduate numbers nationally have followed a different trajectory. They are running 5% ahead of where they were before covid-19.

New freshmen aren’t driving the increase. Rather, it is continuing students and those returning after interrupting their studies, sometimes referred to as “stopping out.”

In recent years, enrollment patterns have varied by selectivity of institution and by region, with schools in the Northeast and Midwest impacted by fewer births and declining high school graduate numbers.

Pennsylvania’s undergraduate total as reported in the study was was just under 532,000, down by 1.4%. Total and graduate enrollment both were down by a little over or just under 1%.

Nationally, dual enrollment among students 17 and younger continued to grow. Meanwhile, there was an uptick of students older than 30.

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center is the research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse. The center works with higher education institutions, states, school districts, high schools and educational organizations to better inform education leaders and policymakers.