College Enrollment Declines in the Wake of COVID-19

Research Minutes podcast

Colleges and universities across the U.S. have seen significant enrollment declines in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new data released by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Incoming freshmen account for nearly 70 percent of the undergraduate enrollment losses this fall, according to the data, while community colleges are reporting enrollment drops approximately nine times higher than their pre-pandemic rate. Mikyung Ryu, research publications director for the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, joins us to discuss those and other trends, and their implications for both colleges and students as we look toward 2021 and beyond.