New research from the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) found that postsecondary institutions are struggling to recruit students.
Every two years, SREB–a nonpartisan nonprofit that works to improve education throughout the southern states–publishes a Fact Book of Higher Education which collects data on higher education and analyzes long-term trends for state legislatures and policymakers.
“Our hope is that by compiling all this data that folks will have the opportunity to see it and find it useful,” said Dr. Susan Campbell Lounsbury, director of education services at SREB.
In the most recent 2019 Fact Book, trends were discovered among community college enrollment.
From 2012-2017, two-year college enrollment dropped 11 percent nationwide. On the other hand, enrollment at four-year institutions remained almost flat, SREB reported.
The results were comparable among SREB states which includes Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia.
One of the most widely accepted reasons behind the decline is related to an improving economy.
