Weekly Briefing: Enrollment Numbers Are Down. Way Down.

Here's a close look at the drop in spring-2022 enrollment. ADVERTISEMENT [Weekly Briefing Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. College attendance is down. College attendance keeps declining, and the numbers are worse than expected. New [estimates]( from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center for spring 2022 found that enrollment fell 4.7 percent from the previous year. That’s a decrease of about 662,000 students. Since the pandemic started the number of undergraduates has dropped by almost 1.4 million students. Maybe these figures confirm something that you already sensed — like the “[stunning]( level of disconnection professors are seeing from students and the increase in students who [question]( the value of college. But there’s more. When the data is broken down by race and ethnicity, the numbers show that some groups of freshmen are not enrolling at the rates of their peers. For example, in the spring of 2022 first-year students’ enrollment was up by 4.2 percent. When you take into account race and ethnicity, however, you’ll see that first-year enrollment for Black students declined by 6.5 percent. The number of women enrolled in college also fell at a higher rate than the number of men enrolled, compared with last year. The downturn is also evident among graduate students. Postsecondary enrollment fell by 1 percent from the previous year. How the drop in enrollment will affect the long-term outlook for higher education remains unanswered. A lot rides on whether colleges can sustain their enrollment increase among first-time students. That could make for a strong freshman recovery in the fall. Read our Audrey Williams June’s full story [here](. ADVERTISEMENT Lagniappe. - Learn. Vending machines make the world go round (kind of). Learn about the “silent salesmen,” and [spend 24 hours with one](. (The Guardian) - Read. In [this 2013 story]( the Barden family makes sense of their life after their son Daniel was killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The story is a look into how mass shootings change families. (The Washington Post) - Listen. The past week’s news was heavy. This [podcast]( about romantic comedies is a nice distraction. (This American Life) — Fernanda SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. Chronicle Top Reads THE REVIEW | ESSAY [Yes, Professors ‘Groom’ Their Students]( By Blake Smith [STORY IMAGE]( Teaching always enlists students in a vision of the future. SPONSOR CONTENT | University of Denver [University of Denver is a Catalyst for Positive Change]( The students and faculty at the University of Denver (DU) are achieving success in their research divisions by applying their abilities to impact the public good. A 'GRAVE MISTAKE' [Princeton Fires Classics Professor Over Relationship With Student]( By Tom Bartlett [STORY IMAGE]( The university’s investigation of a classics professor was seen by some as retaliation for a controversial essay he wrote. Princeton says he violated university policy and misrepresented facts. REGRETS [The Majors They Wish They Hadn’t Chosen]( By Audrey Williams June [STORY IMAGE]( What would people change about their higher-education journey? A new report from the Federal Reserve Board provides some answers to that question. ADVERTISEMENT FROM THE CHRONICLE STORE [Managing the 21st Century Parent]( [Managing the 21st Century Parents]( Engaging with parents has become a major challenge for many colleges. [Order your copy]( to explore how colleges are partnering with families to boost student success. NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK What did you think of today’s newsletter? [Strongly disliked]( | [It was ok]( | [Loved it]( This newsletter was sent to {EMAIL}. [Read this newsletter on the web](. [Manage]( your newsletter preferences, [stop receiving]( this email, or [view]( our privacy policy. © 2022 [The Chronicle of Higher Education]( 1255 23rd Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20037