US College Enrollment Rises as Number of Campuses Drops, Report Finds

California State University Fullerton in Fullerton, Calif., on March 8, 2023. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

New data from the U.S. Department of Education reflect an unusual time for traditional higher education programs: Overall college enrollment is slowly increasing again for the first time since the pandemic, even though 99 institutions closed last year.

The federal agency’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) on Aug. 21 reported that the number of colleges and universities in the U.S. in 2023–24 dropped 2 percent from the previous academic year,  from 5,918 to 5,819. The tuition and fees at private and public colleges and universities, adjusted for inflation, decreased by amounts ranging from 5 percent to 8 percent from the previous year.

Of the 99 schools that closed, 54 were private for-profit institutions (four-year, two-year, and certificate programs), 17 were private four-year schools, 15 were public two-year schools, seven were private two-year schools, and two were public four-year schools, according to the report. It also noted the closing of four institutions that offered certificate programs, categorized as “less than two years.” Three were public, and one was private.

Undergraduate enrollment in the past year increased for the first time since 2010–2011, but the report did not list comparison figures. It noted that 5.8 million of those students were enrolled in online programs, and 2.5 million were high school students earning college credits, most of them through public community college partnerships.

“The new data released today improve our understanding of the role of two-year institutions in educating such students, with information about their providing advanced coursework to high school students,” NCES Commissioner Peggy Carr said in the report.

A January report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center said community college enrollment in the fall of 2023 was up by 118,000 students compared with the fall 2019 semester, though overall higher education enrollment is still lower than it was five years ago. In the past decade, enrollment decreased by more than 1 million students.

Education policymakers and members of Congress are considering changes to the post-secondary education marketplace, such as more partnerships between community colleges and local employers and the expansion of federal Pell tuition grants to include certification programs and apprenticeships in the skilled trades.