College enrollment is down -- again -- this year.

Here’s why. [View this email online]( [NPR]( Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Happy Sunday, Hi, it’s Elissa here! This week, I’ve been looking at preliminary data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, and the numbers show that college enrollment is -- once again -- plummeting. All indications are that the declines seen in the pandemic’s first year are continuing: Undergraduate enrollment was down 3.4% last year and the early research shows a similar decline of 3.2% this fall. If these numbers hold up, that combined drop of more than 6% would be the largest 2-year decline in at least a half-century. "It's very frightening," says Doug Shapiro, who runs the nonprofit research center. "Far from filling the hole of last year's enrollment declines, we are still digging it deeper." Usually, college enrollment follows a wave-like pattern during a recession. When the economy is down, enrollment goes up because students can’t find work. As the job market improves, more students leave college to take jobs in the workforce. However, during the pandemic, enrollment numbers are not following this pattern. "This time, that entire crest of that wave just didn't happen — it got swallowed up by the pandemic," explains Shapiro. "What we've seen instead is literally two troughs, one after the other. So there was no upside from the recession. We just got the downside from the recovery, as the labor market recovers and jobs are going back up." This fall, the drop in undergraduate enrollment is spread across all sectors, but community colleges, which often enroll more low-income students and students of color, have consistently been the hardest hit. The preliminary numbers for this fall show a 5.6% decline, following a roughly 10% dip nationally a year ago. That means that, across the national, freshman enrollment at community colleges has dropped 20.8% in just two years. The question now is: What’s the ripple effect on the economy? And will those students ever come back to college? Check out [my full story here]( and follow me on Twitter [@ElissaNadworny]( to keep up to date on higher ed news. [Read More Here]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Now, let’s get into some news this week… A look at the groups supporting school board protesters nationwide In several states and districts around the country, protestors have been disrupting school board meetings. They're opposed to mask policies. Vaccine mandates. LGBTQ rights. Sex education. Removing police from schools. Teaching about race and American history, or sometimes, anything called "diversity, equity and inclusion" or even "social-emotional learning." [Check out the full story here!]( — [Anya Kamenetz]( NPR Ed Correspondent The superstar teachers of our Student Podcast Challenge. It's that time of year again! Power up your smartphones and build your pillow forts, because we're about to open NPR's Student Podcast Challenge. Every year, we hear amazing student voices from around the country, and air the best student podcast entries on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Code Switch, and other NPR programs. [Read more here.]( — [Sequoia Carrillo]( NPR Ed Assistant Editor 4 things to know about possible changes to your student loan debt Student borrowers, take note. In testimony before a House subcommittee, the head of the office of Federal Student Aid told lawmakers that his agency is preparing for federal student loan repayments to resume early next year. [Read more here.]( — [Cory Turne]( NPR Ed Correspondent Day care for disabled children requires better funding, parents and experts. The U.S. Department of Education has begun sending emails to thousands of teachers, nurses and other public servants to tell them they could have some of their federal student loan debts erased months — and even years — earlier than borrowers had expected. [Read more here.]( — Camila Beiner, NPR National Desk Intern And before you go, Happy Halloween! What’s your favorite Halloween candy? We asked[our Twitter followers]( to sound off on the best candy to bring to the lunch table. See you next week. --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. --------------------------------------------------------------- [Facebook]( [Twitter]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [npred@npr.org](mailto:npred@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can [sign up here](. 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