Yavapai Community College is doing very well in its enrollment efforts
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported on Thursday, January 13 that overall undergraduate enrollment in the United States in fall 2021 dropped 3.1 percent, or by 465,300 students, compared with a year earlier. The drop is similar to the decline in fall 2020. There has been a 6.6 percent decline in overall undergraduate enrollment since 2019.
Public two-year colleges were the hardest-hit sector since the start of the pandemic, with enrollment down 13.5 percent since 2019. Leaders of community colleges have said some of their students struggled to pivot online at the start of the health crisis because of spotty Internet access, while others took a step back from school because of family obligations.
Because community colleges educate a large share of students from low-to-moderate-income families, higher education experts worry a continuation of enrollment declines could erode their earnings potential.
Recall that Yavapai Community College enrollment reported enrollment above the 2019 enrollment figure in the fall 2021. In data gathered by the Arizona Republic newspaper, it reported Yavapai Community College 2021 fall enrollment at 7,525. This compares, according to the newspaper, to 6,009 reported in fall 2020 and 7,429 reported in the fall 2019. For Arizona overall, the newspaper reported that community college enrollment is about 15% below pre-pandemic levels.
Sources: National Student Clearinghouse Research Center; Washington Post article dated January 13, 2021, Arizona Republic article dated October 1, 2021.