The number of students enrolled in postsecondary education fell for the sixth straight year, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
Enrollments in US higher education dropped by 1 percent from fall 2016 to fall 2017, a loss of nearly 200,000 students. Notable decreases were recorded among first-time college students, which experienced an overall decline of 2.3 percent.
The decrease in the new-to-college category was seen among both traditional-aged and adult students.
NACAC member Nicholas Soodik has seen the trend with his own eyes.
As college acceptance rates have declined over the last decade, many students feel compelled to apply to more and more colleges. The shift has changed the application process for college-bound teens, and not necessarily for the better, Soodik noted in a recent column published by Inside Higher Ed.
“Students have to balance being successful high school seniors while working on college applications, many of which include supplemental writing sections,” writes Soodik, assistant director of college counseling at The Pingree School (MA). “The applications add stress, and we live in a cultural moment when anxiety diagnoses, rates of depression, and sleep deprivation among teens are rising. We ought to worry about how college applications contribute to these problems.”
New policies unveiled this week by ACT and The College Board will reduce the fees low-income students encounter in the college admission process.
Starting in September, students who use a fee waiver to register for the ACT will be able to send up to 20 free score reports to the institutions of their choosing. Previously, ACT test-takers were allotted only five free reports, with each additional transmission costing $13.
Under the new College Board policy — which goes into effect next spring — low-income students who take the SAT will be able to send unlimited score reports to colleges. Previously, low-income SAT test-takers were allotted up to eight free score reports, with additional transmissions costing $12 each.
Review the highs, the lows, and everything in-between Monday during a special year-end episode of Admissions Live.
Host Adam Castro will be joined by Eric Hoover, a senior writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education; and Jon Boeckenstedt, associate vice president of enrollment management and marketing at DePaul University (IL). Together, they’ll identify the topics that got professionals talking this year and discuss how those trends will impact the field in the future.
Congress has signaled it’s ready to tackle reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA), but a bill introduced last week in the US House of Representatives has NACAC and other education organizations concerned.
“While NACAC agrees that the HEA needs to be reauthorized, this bill goes about it in the wrong way,” Michael Rose, NACAC’s director for government relations noted in a press release. “After an initial review, it is clear this bill reduces or eliminates student protections against fraud and abuse, and further dilutes the federal contribution to improving access to postsecondary education.”
Could an early offer of admission encourage more minority students to pursue postsecondary education?
A Maryland counselor put that idea to the test this fall by organizing an “instant admission college fair.”
The event, held last month, drew students from 20 Baltimore County high schools and featured admission representatives from 15 historically black colleges and universities.
High school seniors — armed with their transcripts, test scores, and optional writing samples and recommendation letters — met with college reps and received admission decisions on-site. By the end of the day, more than 950 acceptances had been extended to students.
Grant programs for low-income students yield greater returns than assistance efforts aimed at students from higher-income families, new data suggests.
A working paper published this month by the Upjohn Institute found that Pell Grant recipients at four-year colleges in Texas saw improved academic and economic outcomes.
Students and parents will soon be able to use their smartphones to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced Tuesday that the mobile platform will roll out this spring as part of a larger effort to modernize the federal student aid system.
Most Americans believe postsecondary education remains a valuable commodity for today’s young people, according to results from a new national survey.
“The vast majority of Americans (86 percent) feel that higher education after high school enhances job prospects,” according to a new report from Civis Analytics. “Most (89 percent) also think high school students should pursue an education program after graduation from high school.”
