Compared to last fall, postsecondary enrollment has decreased this year by more than 231,000 students, according to new research from the non-profit organization National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) Research Center.
This report, “Fall 2019 Current Term Enrollment Estimates” is part of an ongoing research series that provides national and state enrollment data based on institutional sectors, age groups, gender and student’s majors.
According to the research, for the first time within the decade, the United States’ unduplicated fall enrollments dipped below 18 million students and declined by more than two million students.
Dr. Sally M. Johnstone, president of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems, said the results were not “unexpected.”
“We are at a point culturally in the United States right now where the value of college is being questioned,” she said. “So, there are fewer people that would be expected to go to a postsecondary education and are doing that. There are also a number of different kinds of alternatives that are evolving.”
In terms of enrollment based on individual states, Florida saw the largest decline with a loss of 52,328 students.
The top states with the largest enrollment decline by the number of students include Florida, New York, California, Missouri and Pennsylvania. According to the research, Alaska, Florida, Arkansas, Missouri, Vermont and Wyoming held the largest enrollment decrease by percentage change.
