New numbers from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center show that university enrollment has continued to decline for the sixth straight year. Community colleges and for-profit institutions have taken the biggest hit, losing 97,000 students and 69,000 students (on average) respectively.
Though numerous explanations exist, a survey by the National Association of College and University Business Officers finds that price sensitivity and competition play a major role. Students considering enrolling in higher education are balking at the persistently increasing costs and look toward nontraditional programs such as coding boot camps and specialized degrees.
Sixty-eight percent of chief business officers of colleges and universities report that the rising cost of tuition has negatively impacted enrollment. In fact, 57 percent blame new, innovative educational models.
Though colleges and universities can identify what is causing the decrease in enrollment, only some are actively innovating to attract the 21st century student.
Former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has pledged that his tenure at Purdue University will bring new efficiency to the stultifying higher education sector — he has frozen tuition through 2019 (one of the only schools in the nation to do so), and has created a new plan to help students earn a bachelor’s degree in three years. Daniels is also tapping into the burgeoning online education sector through a partnership with Kaplan.
Since his tenure began in 2013, Purdue’s undergraduate applications, enrollment, alumni donations, graduation rates, and the number of startups launched by researchers have hit record levels. Daniels recognizes the need to innovate and it’s paying off.
Arguing that universities cannot simply continue to increase tuition, Daniels told Bloomberg that “the market won’t stand for this, and at some point, the public is going to start demanding that universities lower costs. So let’s not be last.”
Kate Hardiman is pursuing a master’s in education from Notre Dame University and teaches English and religion at a high school in Chicago.
