Two-Year School Enrollment: 2021 by the Numbers + 2022 Projections
Two-year schools can increase their enrollment in 2022 if students are aware of the funding available to them through scholarships.
The past year was a process of recovery for colleges and universities that experienced shutdowns, restrictions, and all-around uncertainty at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Community colleges were hit the hardest — enrollment in 2020 decreased ninefold for two-year schools compared to statistics from fall 2019. Could things have gotten any better in the past year as institutions continue to adjust to a new normal? Fall 2021 data can give us a clue about how higher education fared over the past year.
Overall enrollment in postsecondary institutions was down 2.6% in 2021, according to data from the
National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. This percent decrease is similar to that of last year’s enrollment, which was down 3.4% for a total of a 5.8% decrease since 2019.
The bounce-back from pandemic-related losses is slow, and a closer look at the data reveals that two-year institutions are especially struggling to recuperate enrollment numbers. Two-year colleges saw enrollment decrease by 3.4% in 2021, whereas private nonprofit four-year institution enrollment only decreased by 1.6% and highly-selective four-year institution enrollment actually increased by 3.1%.
The most apparent reason why student enrollment, especially at two-year schools, is continuing to drop is the state of the economy. According to the
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, consumer prices for all items rose by a collective 7% in the past year — the largest percent increase since 1981. Potential students are going to work instead of pursuing an education, and inflation is a primary driver in that decision. Especially for lower-income families, when it costs more and more to put gas in the car and food on the table, it’s harder and harder to justify paying for a degree. If students are offered scholarships, however, they may choose a different path.
Two-year schools can increase their enrollment in 2022 if students are aware of the funding available to them through scholarships. AwardSpring’s scholarship-management solution can be the difference when it comes to reaching students in need of funding. The AwardSpring platform can be customized to fit the needs of your school to ensure time efficiency, maximized fund utilization, and most importantly, reach more students in need.
AwardSpring can empower institutions of all shapes and sizes to think big in 2022 and beyond.
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