Enrollment at public colleges and universities in Washington was still lagging last year after a drop at the start of the pandemic, according to a new report.
The decline is most dramatic at public community and technical colleges, where enrollment sank 25% from fall 2019 to fall 2022, the report from the Washington Student Achievement Council says. At public four-year colleges and universities, enrollment dropped 10% during that time.
The declines have slowed at community and technical colleges since the start of COVID-19. Between the 2019 and 2020 school years, enrollment dropped 13% at those schools. Between fall 2021 and fall 2022, it fell just 4%. At four-year institutions, the downward trend remained consistent, at around 3% each year.
Only Washington State University has released early data on fall 2023 so far, and enrollment declines appear consistent with recent years, according to Michael Meotti, executive director of the Washington Student Achievement Council.
“There are many things that COVID did, that as soon as the peak pandemic years were over, it went away. That’s not the case in education, because the pandemic disrupted education across all levels,” Meotti said.
Other trends
The number of students enrolling in education beyond high school for the first time did increase at community and technical colleges between 2020 and 2022, despite slipping at four-year institutions.
According to Meotti, Washington state is relatively unique in its dependence on transfer students to determine enrollment numbers at four-year schools, as many students in the state start at two-year community colleges with the intent of transferring.
At community and technical colleges, enrollment declined across all racial groups, with the largest drops among white, Asian and Indigenous students. At four-year institutions, enrollment declined most for Indigenous students and white students, while enrollment increased most for Black students, as well as Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students.
Enrollment declines at all public institutions were partly mitigated for students who received need-based financial aid. At four-year institutions, enrollment increased for students who received need-based aid and decreased for those who did not. At community and technical colleges, enrollment declined for both groups but declined further for those who did not receive need-based aid.
The report warns that looking only at those who receive financial aid is “likely an undercount of low-income students because not all students with financial need apply for aid.”
The increase in enrollment at four-year institutions for students who received need-based aid was “driven entirely” by a 2020 state expansion of financial assistance called the Washington College Grant, the report said. The state-funded program, Meotti said, is one of the “most generous financial aid programs” in the country.
Meotti said declining birth rates and shrinking buying power in middle-income households has also contributed to lower enrollment rates — as well as a growing perception from the public that going to college isn’t worth it.
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