College and university enrollment has been going down since the pandemic started last year, especially so at two-year community colleges. In the fall of 2020, community college enrollment sank nearly 10%, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
When job losses started climbing last Spring, Kathy Ulibarri, the director of New Mexico Independent Community Colleges, expected what’d she seen in other recessions — more people out of work would mean higher enrollment, as people began to seek out new job skills.
“The pandemic turned all of that on its head,” Ulibarri said. “We saw unemployment spiking in our state. But the students were not coming to the colleges.”
In New Mexico alone, enrollment in the fall dropped by 15%, and this semester it’s expected to drop another 12%.
That’s because this isn’t a typical recession. Justin Ortagus, a professor of higher education at the University of Florida, said community colleges often attract students who are on the fence about continuing school.
“So if you’re considering college or not, and you’re in the midst of a pandemic, where the economy is kind of at a standstill, you may not be as excited to go earn that credential to prepare yourself for the labor market,” Ortagus said.