Postsecondary Transfer Enrollment Stabilized In Fall 2021

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Postsecondary Transfer Enrollment Stabilized In Fall 2021

HERNDON, VA – (JANUARY 19, 2022) – Postsecondary transfer enrollment appears to have stabilized in fall 2021 following a precipitous decline a year earlier, with a drop of less than 1% (-11,300 students) compared to a 9.2% decline (-137,000 students) in fall 2020, according to research released today by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

In contrast, non-transfer enrollment fell a further 4.1%, an acceleration of the previous year’s 2.3% drop. The latest COVID-19: Transfer, Mobility, and Progress report, the sixth in the series, reflects the pandemic’s impact on postsecondary transfer students.

“Transfer pathways in fall 2021 show signs of students and campuses working hard to find greater latitude for navigating the pandemic,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “Even as total undergraduate enrollment slid further, students who have stayed enrolled are finding ways to adapt to their specific challenges through transfer and mobility.”

Report Highlights include:

  • Transfers are up 2.3% among continuing students (+19,300), but down a further 5.8% among those returning from a stop-out (-30,600). Increased transfers among continuing students were most pronounced at private nonprofit four-year institutions (+7.7%), followed by public four-year institutions (+1.5%).
  • Patterns of transfer and mobility have diverged across different pathways in fall 2021. Reverse and lateral transfers, the pathways with the steepest declines reported the year before, remain largely stable (-0.9% vs. -17.5% in fall 2020 and +0.2% vs. -13.3% in fall 2020, respectively). Upward transfers continued to dip slightly (-1.6% vs. -2.7% in fall 2020), now showing the largest numerical decline of any pathway (-10,600 students compared with -1,756 reverse transfers and +1,039 lateral transfers).
  • Mobility increased among continuing students but decreased among returning students across all transfer pathways (upward, lateral, and reverse). Four-year lateral transfers–from a four-year to another four-year college–had the largest disparity, increasing 9.0% (+15,200) among continuing students while declining 9.2% (-10,000) for returning students.
  • Upward transfers increased at very competitive colleges in fall 2021 (+5,000 students or +4.0%). Also notable is a 5-6% growth in four-year lateral transfers at very competitive and competitive institutions (+9,200 students as a total). Upward transfers at highly selective institutions grew more slowly than last year (+1,700 students or +2.7% vs. +5,600 students or +9.5% in fall 2020).
  • Younger transfer students aged 18-20 is the only age group to experience growth in fall 2021, fully recovering from their 2020 declines (+13.6% vs. -8.7% in fall 2020).
  • Reversing the gender pattern from fall 2020, transfer enrollment increased 1.2% for men (+6,200), while continuing to decline another 2.3% for women (-18,200).
  • Compared to fall 2020, White, Black, Latinx, and Native American transfer enrollments dropped at considerably smaller rates (-2.5%, -1.8%, -2.9%, and -1.0%, respectively). Asian transfer student numbers fell slightly more than last year (-4.4%).

The COVID-19: Transfer, Mobility, and Progress presents the undergraduate transfer enrollment and pathways in the fall of 2021. It analyzes 12 million undergraduate students, including 1.3 million transfer students, as reported by 92.6% of colleges as of Nov 18, 2021. Because of the high data coverage rate, this report offers the enrollment numbers along with the year-over-year percentage changes, both of which are available for downloading.

The COVID-19 Transfer, Mobility, and Progress Report series, with support from Ascendium Education Group and ECMC Foundation, identifies changes in student transfer pathways that are attributable to the pandemic by using historical data as the pre-pandemic baseline and the Clearinghouse’s current enrollment data.

By providing the most up-to-date information about student transfer available online for free, the Research Center enables schools, institutions, organizations, and policymakers to better adapt and serve students, particularly those from the most vulnerable populations, during the pandemic and beyond.

About the National Student Clearinghouse® Research Center™

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center is the research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse. The Research Center collaborates with higher education institutions, states, school districts, high schools, and educational organizations as part of a national effort to better inform education leaders and policymakers. Through accurate longitudinal data outcomes reporting, the Research Center enables better educational policy decisions leading to improved student outcomes.

The Research Center currently collects data from more than 3,600 postsecondary institutions, which represent 97 percent of the nation’s postsecondary enrollments in degree-granting institutions, as of 2019. Clearinghouse data track enrollments nationally and are not limited by institutional and state boundaries. To learn more, visit https://nscresearchcenter.org.

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Fall 2021 Undergraduate Enrollment Declines 465,300 Students Compared to Fall 2020

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Fall 2021 Undergraduate Enrollment Declines 465,300 Students Compared to Fall 2020

Undergraduate Enrollment Declines Exceed 1 Million Since Fall 2019

HERNDON, VA – (JANUARY 13, 2022) – Compared to fall 2020, total undergraduate enrollment declined by 3.1% or 465,300 students, for a total two-year decline during the COVID-19 pandemic of 6.6%, or 1,025,600  students since fall 2019, according to a new report released today by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Nationwide, more than 17 million students enrolled in colleges and universities in fall 2021. Meanwhile, total fall enrollment increased in only four states: Arizona, Colorado, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

The number of students seeking associate degrees, which fell by 6.2% this year, accounts for 713,000 of the undergraduate decline since 2019, a 14.1% drop over two years. Bachelor’s degree seekers fell by 3% this year, and have now fallen by 3.9% since 2019, a two-year decline of 333,900. Graduate student enrollment declined 0.4% or 10,800 this year.

“Our final look at fall 2021 enrollment shows undergraduates continuing to sit out in droves as colleges navigate yet another year of COVID-19,” said Doug Shapiro, Executive Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. “Without a dramatic re-engagement in their education, the potential loss to these students’ earnings and futures is significant, which will greatly impact the nation as a whole in years to come.”

Undergraduate enrollment declined across all institution sectors, with private for-profit four-year colleges suffering the steepest percentage drop (-11.1% or 65,500 students) and public four-year institutions losing the largest number of students (251,400 or -3.8%) compared to the previous year. Private nonprofit four-year enrollment decreased by 2.2% or 58,700 students this fall.

Enrollment declines at community colleges this fall totaled -3.4% or 161,800 students. However, the number of associate degree-seeking students enrolled at four-year institutions fell much more steeply (-11.0% at public four-year, -6.2% at private nonprofit four-year, and -11.9% at private for-profit four-year institutions). Public two-year colleges remain the hardest hit sector since the start of the pandemic (-13.2% or 706,100 students over 2019).

Two-year and four-year public institutions combined, which enroll 76% of all undergraduates, showed a 3.1% decline or nearly 398,600 student losses.

Freshman enrollment stabilized this fall following a precipitous decline last year. Enrollment is up about 0.4% or 8,100 students from 2020, but still 9.2% less or 213,400 fewer freshman students compared to pre-pandemic levels in fall 2019. Private nonprofit four-year colleges led this fall’s freshmen increase by 2.9% or 11,600 students, followed by public two-year colleges improving 0.4% or 3,000 students. Freshman enrollment continued to decline in other sectors this fall.

Adult students (age 24 and older) saw the sharpest relative enrollment decline this fall (3.4% or 210,800 students), largely driven by steep declines at four-year colleges. Traditional college-age students (18-24) declined by 2.4% or 254,100 students, with the sharpest declines in the public two-year college sector (5.3% or 135,400 students). Dual enrolled high school students (under 18) increased at public two-year institutions by 1.5% but fell at public and private nonprofit four-year institutions (6.9%, and 1.1%, respectively).

Enrollment in each of the five largest undergraduate majors (Business, Health, Liberal Arts, Biology, and Engineering) at four-year colleges fell steeply this year. Liberal Arts declined the most (7.6%), while Computer Sciences and Psychology, the sixth and seventh largest majors, grew by 1.3 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively. Among the largest two-year college majors, Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting, and Related Protective Services declined the most (7.4%), while Computer Sciences and Engineering increased (2.9% and 1.5%, respectively).

The Current Term Enrollment Estimates (CTEE) Report Series is published in the spring and the fall of each year by the Research Center. It provides national enrollment estimates by institutional sector, enrollment intensity, age group, gender, major field, and state. Starting in fall 2020, state-level enrollment data are also shown by institution sector.

As with the previous editions, the Fall 2021 CTEE provides estimated postsecondary enrollment numbers based on the Clearinghouse universe of institutions, after accounting for data coverage rates. This differs from the Stay Informed report series that is designed to quantify the immediate effects of COVID-19 by analyzing year-over-year percentage change in unadjusted, preliminary data for fixed panels of institutions that reported data in the same month each year from fall 2019 to fall 2021. The estimated enrollment numbers presented in the CTEE report may differ from the results of the Stay Informed reports due to the difference in methodology and institution coverage. The most recent SI report, released November 18, included 74% of institutions that had submitted data by October 21.

Next week, the Research Center will release an update to the COVID-19: Transfer, Mobility, and Progress report.

About the National Student Clearinghouse® Research Center™

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center is the research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse. The Research Center collaborates with higher education institutions, states, school districts, high schools, and educational organizations as part of a national effort to better inform education leaders and policymakers. Through accurate longitudinal data outcomes reporting, the Research Center enables better educational policy decisions leading to improved student outcomes.

The Research Center currently collects data from more than 3,600 postsecondary institutions, which represent 97 percent of the nation’s postsecondary enrollments in degree-granting institutions, as of 2019. Clearinghouse data track enrollments nationally and are not limited by institutional and state boundaries. To learn more, visit https://nscresearchcenter.org.

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