‘Universities are going to continue to suffer.’ Some colleges struggle with enrollment declines, underfunding

Enrollment declines and underfunding have hit the higher education system hard.
Post-pandemic, a number of colleges are in financial jeopardy.
Deep cuts in state funding for higher education have pushed more of the costs on to students and paved the way for significant tuition increases.

Increasingly, high school students are rethinking the value of college, with a growing number of them questioning the return on investment. Some have decided against a four-year degree.

To be sure, undergraduate enrollment was falling even before the pandemic, but remote learning — coupled with the sky-high cost of college — triggered a nosedive. The number of undergraduates enrolled in college nationwide is now down 9.4% compared to two years ago — a loss of nearly 1.4 million students.

Those steep declines caused tuition revenue to fall, putting some schools in financial jeopardy. A few have had to shut down entirely.

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