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Enrollments Dropped 1.7 Percent This Spring From a Year Ago

By  Dan Berrett
May 30, 2019

College enrollment declined 1.7 percent this spring relative to spring 2018, according to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

That top-line data point masked key differences among types of colleges. The biggest year-over-year growth, 3.2 percent, was among four-year private nonprofits. The increase, however, can largely be attributed to the conversion of Grand Canyon University from for-profit to nonprofit status in 2018. By contrast, enrollment in the shrinking four-year for-profit sector fell even more sharply in the fall of 2018 and the spring of 2019 than it had in the previous fall and spring.

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College enrollment declined 1.7 percent this spring relative to spring 2018, according to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

That top-line data point masked key differences among types of colleges. The biggest year-over-year growth, 3.2 percent, was among four-year private nonprofits. The increase, however, can largely be attributed to the conversion of Grand Canyon University from for-profit to nonprofit status in 2018. By contrast, enrollment in the shrinking four-year for-profit sector fell even more sharply in the fall of 2018 and the spring of 2019 than it had in the previous fall and spring.

Further evidence of these cross-sector dynamics could be seen in the changed destinations of students over 24, a group that regularly accounts for more than 80 percent of for-profit enrollments. These institutions saw a nearly 20-percent drop in that age group during the past year. Four-year private nonprofits experienced 5.9-percent growth in students in that age range.

Enrollments in four-year public institutions have experienced modest declines.

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Dan Berrett writes about teaching, learning, the curriculum, and educational quality. Follow him on Twitter @danberrett, or write to him at dan.berrett@chronicle.com.

A version of this article appeared in the June 21, 2019, issue.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
Admissions & Enrollment
Dan Berrett
Dan Berrett is a senior editor for The Chronicle of Higher Education. He joined The Chronicle in 2011 as a reporter covering teaching and learning. Follow him on Twitter @danberrett, or write to him at dan.berrett@chronicle.com.
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