Soaring College Costs Fuel Enrollment Crisis
This fall, 18-year-old freshman college enrollment dropped 5%, most significantly impacting public and private four-year colleges (over 6% decline). Contributing factors include declining birth rates, Fafsa application issues, the Supreme Court’s rejection of student loan forgiveness, and the increasing attractiveness of the job market. Despite application numbers rising, affordability concerns, particularly tuition increases, remain major obstacles to college access. Experts emphasize the need for increased support to address affordability and accessibility issues to reverse this concerning trend.
John Q. Hosedrinker