Higher Ed. Dive
July 23, 2021 Student Success
Policy and higher education experts say that schools should support unauthorized immigrant students by providing legal and mental health services on campus. Though DACA was ruled unlawful, students already covered will not face immediate ramifications. Prospective students who do not yet have protected status but were counting on it will no longer have access to in-state tuition prices or be eligible for some scholarship programs.
Inside Higher Ed
July 19, 2021 Enrollment Management Trends, Value and Affordability
The high school class of 2021 completed the FAFSA at a rate 4.8% lower than the previous year – about 102,000 fewer seniors, primarily low-income and/or minority students. FAFSA completions declined 6.5% among Title I-eligible public high schools, and for schools with more than 50% Black and Latinx students, the decline was 8.1%. Public high schools in cities and small towns declined the most, followed by schools in rural places and suburban high schools.
Inside Higher Ed
July 19, 2021 Admissions, Enrollment Management Trends
A new survey of test-optional colleges found that test-optional is improving access broadly for low-income, underrepresented, and first generation students. In lieu of test scores, there was a heavier reliance on high school transcripts and GPA, and public institutions were more likely than private institutions to make more use of essays and personal statements.
Higher Ed. Dive
July 12, 2021 Admissions
A dozen groups and individuals in higher education are pressing U.S. News and World Report to stop using average SAT and ACT scores to calculate its influential Best Colleges rankings. The publication has long built entrance exam scores into its methodology for the rankings, though recently it has taken steps to account for their diminished role in some schools’ admissions processes. More than 1,500 colleges will not require test scores for fall 2022.
Higher Ed. Dive
July 08, 2021 Enrollment Management Trends, Student Success
According to a new report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, first-year persistence rates dropped to 73.9% in fall 2020, with community colleges seeing the largest decline, followed by private and public four-year colleges. Racial and ethnic disparities continued – 87% of Asian students persisted into their second year, compared to around two-thirds of Black and Latinx students. Additionally, retention rates fell by 0.7% and the downward trend continued in the spring. Colleges are hopeful that in-person classes will increase enrollment; however, high school seniors have mixed feelings.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
July 01, 2021 Enrollment Management Trends, Student Success
Last fall, male undergraduate enrollment fell by nearly 7 percent, almost three times as much as female enrollment. The steepest decline and largest gender gap was found among students of color attending community colleges. Declines in Asian male enrollment were smaller compared to Black and Hispanic men, but still about eight times compared to Asian women. Increased pressure and gender norms also play a role in these disparities. Colleges are adding male-specific majors, mentoring, and advising programs in an effort to increase male enrollment.
The Wall Street Journal
June 19, 2021 Enrollment Management Trends
Hundreds of thousands of students who graduated from high school last spring veered off the path to higher education, diverted by the pandemic; the lowest enrollment in 20 years. Identifying and contacting those students to persuade them to enroll can be difficult: some have moved, some lost access to their high schools email networks, and some are employed full-time and do not want to give up their income. The longer they are away from formal education, the harder it could be to ultimately enroll them.
Higher Ed. Dive
June 14, 2021 Enrollment Management Trends, Research
The higher education sector didn’t get a reprieve from the enrollment losses that defined the fall term, new data shows. Instead, the numbers from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found a few continuing trends.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
June 10, 2021 Enrollment Management Trends, Student Success
New data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shows a total undergraduate college enrollment decline of 3.5%, a shortfall of 603,000 students. The decline was sharper in traditional-aged college students, and male student enrollment continued to fall more than female enrollment (5.5% vs. 2%). Enrollment fell in almost every undergraduate major except certain majors such as psychology (+4.8%) and computer and information science (+3%).
Higher Ed. Dive
June 08, 2021 Admissions, Enrollment Management Trends
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many 4-year colleges that required entrance exams temporarily moved to test-optional policies for admissions consideration. Research indicates that the SAT and ACT favor White and wealthy students over poor, Black and Hispanic students. Though policies and messaging across institutions was inconsistent and ambiguous this year, Admissions experts believe that these test-optional policies open doors for students whom higher education has historically boxed out.