Fox News reports freshman enrollment dropped 5% this year with the majority of the dip from students aged 20 and younger.
It is the largest decline since 2020.
Overall there is enrollment growth, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, but freshman enrollment is declining, down 5 percent from this time last fall with public and private nonprofit 4-year institutions seeing the largest declines (-8.5% and -6.5%). An almost 6 percent drop in the number of 18-year-old freshmen (a proxy for those enrolling immediately after high school graduation) is driving most of the decline.
Repeated failure with the student aid application form is listed as one of the major problems pushing low-income families away from four-year college degrees.
While many Americans consider other options, the outlook began improving for trade schools during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. These specialized schools provide training in automotive technology, electrical and plumbing skills and much more.
Biden admin fumbles aid app
Carine Hajjar is a Boston Globe Editorial Board Member. She said on Fox News that the Biden administration flat out messed up the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or the FAFSA.
"We recently editorialized that they botched this rollout, and in 2020, there was the FAFSA Simplification Act. They were legally supposed to have a simplified, user-friendly program out here, and you had students really struggling to use this. Anyone that's applied to college knows how stressful it is. Parents know how stressful it is. Up to April 15th in the cycle, you still couldn't correct mistakes in the FAFSA form, and people were receiving their financial aid and grants very late. So, this was a huge mistake on the Biden administration’s part."
Also, 212,000 fewer high school seniors applied for federal student aid for this cycle. Hajjar said the FAFSA frustrations simply made it impossible for families to get the aid that they needed in time to get these kids in school.
"And you had 1.6 million students start the form and not complete it, so you have to wonder, 'where are those students going to end up?' On a political level, you have the Democrats touting student debt
forgiveness, and this is something that the Supreme Court has already blocked on the scale that the Biden administration proposed. But this has been a huge part of all of their elections, all of their campaigns, and yet they can't roll out what they're legally supposed to do. It's just such a botched thing for the Biden Administration.
Life changes play a part
Another factor brought up was that students who haven't decided on a degree path may graduate in April or May, and they may decide to skip a year.
Sometimes if they do, life happens, and they may just decide not to go back.
It was also pointed out that one question on people's minds is whether or not a person's college education determines who they will vote for.
