COVID-19 and Higher Ed: Biweekly Update
Updates from New England Institutions
Check out NEBHE's COVID-19 dashboard to explore how institutions are operating in Fall 2020
College Enrollment in the Age of COVID-19
Whether and How Students Have Returned to College During the Pandemic

By Sheridan Miller
The coronavirus pandemic has drastically changed how higher education is delivered in New England and across the country. After hundreds of thousands of students were sent home in March and as the pandemic continued unabated, the question arose for AY 2020-21: how would postsecondary institutions provide their students a high caliber of education while at the same time keeping them safe? Some institutions planned to remain completely online, while others planned to offer synchronous and asynchronous instruction, and a significant number made plans to open their campus to a limited number of students. In this new environment, a critical enrollment issue emerged: would students even come back to school? To answer this question, on November 12th, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center released the latest installment of its Stay Informed series, which tracks outstanding college enrollment trends in near real time.

The National Level
One of the most sobering national findings is the drop in first-time freshmen enrollment. With 76% of colleges reporting, first-time freshmen enrollment has dropped 13% over the previous academic year. Community colleges are showing the steepest decline in first-time freshmen (-18.9%), almost 19 times the pre-pandemic loss rate, followed by public four-year colleges (-10.5%) and private not-for-profit four-year institutions (-8.5%).

Another troubling trend in enrollment tracks along lines of diversity, equity and inclusion. Additionally, as higher education institutions try to grapple with how to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion on their campuses, the report shows a national decline in enrollment among some students of color, namely Black and Native American students. These demographic groups saw declines of 7.7% and 10.4%, respectively. 

What's Happening in the Northeast?
Click image to enlarge chart.
Northeastern states have followed a similar enrollment pattern. According to Doug Shapiro, executive research director at the National Student Clearinghouse, overall undergraduate enrollment in the Northeast has declined -4.4%, which is roughly commensurate with the national average. Shapiro further stated, “That number is buoyed by New Hampshire, however, which leads all states, with a 7% increase. States like Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, in contrast, are showing larger-than-average declines, of 5% to 8%, including notably large drops at community colleges in Connecticut and at public four-year schools in Massachusetts.”
While the enrollment decline is affecting most sectors, its hardest impact has been on community colleges.

Connecticut
  • Community Colleges: -15.7%
  • Public Four-year: -1%
  • Private Four-year: -1.4%
Maine
  • Community Colleges: -6.6%
  • Public Four-year: data unavailable
  • Private Four-year: -5.4%
Massachusetts
  • Community Colleges: -8.3%
  • Public Four-year: -4.2%
  • Private Four-year: -4.1%
New Hampshire
  • Community Colleges: -10.6%
  • Public Four-year: -4.8%
  • Private Four-year: +13.8%**
Rhode Island
  • Community Colleges: data unavailable
  • Public Four-year: data unavailable
  • Private Four-year: -14.2%
Vermont
  • Community Colleges: data unavailable
  • Public Four-year: -5.2%
  • Private Four-year: +4.5%

With these latest reported declines in enrollment in New England and across our country, it is imperative to continue to listen to the needs of both students and universities. Our country and postsecondary education landscape has been altered, maybe permanently, by the ravages of the coronavirus and the subsequent economic downturn. As we push forward toward the spring 2021 semester, it is clear that we must continue to assess the unique needs of students in this new age of educational transition in order to reckon with, and hopefully help increase future undergraduate enrollment in our New England region and beyond. 

Notes
*The Northeast comprises the states in the New England and Middle Atlantic Divisions: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. 
**See Doug Shapiro's statement above on how enrollment at Southern New Hampshire University affects the overall average.

Questions? Feedback? Contact Sheridan Miller at smiller@nebhe.org.
For more, visit NEBHE's COVID-19 Resource Page
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