Enrollment is the lifeblood of higher education. As with so much these days, there is cause for gloom. The so-called demographic cliff — a marked decline in the size of the traditionally aged college-going population — has loomed for years. Now it’s here. International enrollments are plunging, creating steep revenue losses at institutions like Georgetown and DePaul. Graduate programs are increasingly fragile, pressured by a shrinking international market and the looming end of Grad PLUS loans. Public confidence is sliding, with only a third of Americans saying college is worth the cost. Yet growth pockets exist: SEC publics are booming, La Salle is stabilizing under new leadership, and rural America may offer the next frontier for enrollment gains. The stories here explore the impact of declining enrollment on the sector.
Check out the series of articles here.
