Enrollments down, degrees up
By Daily Staff, Published May 30, 2014
From CC Daily
The number of students enrolled in degree-granting two-year postsecondary institutions — about 7.2 million in 2012 — is down about 7 percent from 2010 after steady growth since 1990, according to new federal data.
However, enrollment is expected to climb again, reaching more than 8 million students by 2023.
The data compiled in the U.S. Department of Education's annual Condition of Education report provides a snapshot of information on pre-K through postsecondary education, looking at myriad issues, from enrollment and completion rates, to student aid and institutional revenue sources.
One area of interest is data on undergraduate degree fields, which showed an increase in associate degrees awarded over both the long and short term. The number of associate degrees awarded from academic years
2001-02 to 2011-12 increased 71 percent, from 595,100 to more than 1 million. In comparison, the increase for bachelor's degrees awarded was 39 percent, from 1.3 million to 1.8 million.
A smaller window of time also showed an increase: the number of associate degrees awarded from 2010-11 to 2011-12 increased by 8 percent.
According to the data, about a third of the degrees awarded in 2011-12 were in three broad fields of study:
• liberal arts and sciences, general studies and humanities (33 percent)
• health professions and related programs (21 percent)
• business management, marketing and support services (12 percent)
The next three largest fields of study included:
• homeland security, law enforcement and firefighting (5 percent)
• engineering technologies and engineering-related fields (4 percent)
• computer and information sciences and support services (4 percent)
Do Parkland's figures reflect these national trends?
ReplyDeleteWendy, somewhat. I believe we are down more than 7% since 2010.
ReplyDeleteTom
Wendy, it is a national trend and has been for several years. Here's the link to relatively recent figures from the Association of American Community Colleges: http://www.aacc.nche.edu/Publications/Reports/Documents/Enrollment_AwardData.pdf.
ReplyDeleteMy personal observations are that the decline can be attributed to several factors: (1) students are now working more hours than ever before. They tend not to see college as a top priority; (2) Changes in financial aid have hit students very hard. Many cannot obtain loans or are overwhelmed by mounting loans. As a result, they resort to the first observation in order to try and get on top of paying loans down; (3) A number of my students seem to be put into caregiver roles for older parents or younger siblings. They cannot effectively juggle school, work, commute, friends, family, etc.; (4) Outreach and Support Services: We do a fantastic job in regards to support services, but selling them is another matter, specifically outside of the college community. I am not slamming any one group. I know how hard everyone works, but I think we need to figure out ways to get out into our communities a bit more, drag folks into the college, and show them how much we have their backs when they enroll her; (5) It's the economy:-)