“Concerning” rate in fall of admissions at US colleges
Data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center has revealed that enrolment of 18-year-old freshmen in colleges in America has fallen by 5% during this fall semester, the Guardian reported. The data reflects enrolment levels reported for the 1.4 million 18-year-olds as of, 31st October, 2024.
This fall is significant for both public and private college, with non-profit four-year colleges seeing more than 6% decline. For most states, Inside Higher Ed found that the average drop was almost 7%.
For prestigious universities with lower acceptance rates, the largest fall in enrolment were among freshman from minority backgrounds. Black students were 16.9% less likely to enrol at highly selective colleges.
But experts say the main reason for the drop is more complicated. A “national conversation that’s been going on for a while” over a “potential enrolment cliff” was highlighted by Education Professor at the University of Maryland, Julie J Park.
The ‘cliff’ concept came following declining birth rates in America due to the recession. Earlier this year, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) revealed that the USA had historically low annual birth rates. “Since the most recent high in 2007, the number of births has declined 17%, and the general fertility rate has declined 21%,” according to its August 2024 data.
But there are other factors that Park pointed to including the high cost related to higher education in the US. The Department of Education, responsible for federal student aid, made changes to its Free Application for Federal Student Aid to make it simpler. But technical difficulties have seen massive delays in its roll out. This has left many students without the financial aid they may be entitled to.
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