Ripped from the Headlines: Why are Students Fleeing Community College?

I’m usually the first to pat myself on the back for making a correct prediction of future college events. Here’s one where I have to step up and admit I was flat out wrong.

In our nation’s recent past, anytime there has been an economic downturn, community colleges have found an upswell in business, as they not only capture a larger percentage of students who find that their families can no longer afford a four-year college education, but also adults who return to the community college for career retraining and advancement in the absence of good jobs.

When COVID came to town and the economy went into a tailspin globally, I thought the same action would happen as it had in past similar events. Not this time. A recent PBS article caught my eye and reiterated my sentiments to the letter…so I thought to include it in this edition of the CKQ.

According to the National Student Clearinghouse, admission at U.S. community colleges is down a whopping 10% in one year, but that only tells one part of the story. First-time enrollment in community college dropped by 21% and enrollment by Black, Hispanic and Native-American first-year students dropped by nearly 29%. Wow.

There are a number of reasons for this. Zoom fatigue is real and so many of these students are not only tired of learning via computer, but so many of them on the low end of the income spectrum do not have reliable computers and Internet access to begin with. Others are living in multi-generational homes where they are responsible to not only work, but take care of a parent, grandparent, sibling, or even a child of their own. With the national unemployment rate hitting as high as 14.8% during the height of COVID lockdowns, the need for employment became a priority and the need to pursue an education (or part of the educational experience) took a backseat to putting food on the table and paying the rent.

The damage to the community college system will directly result on how fast we as a nation can rebound from COVID-19 and how many students of color and low-socioeconomic status will come back to continue (or start) their post high school education. If the return to business as usual takes longer than the coming semester to see most classes return to on-campus status, the results could be disastrous for both the students AND the community colleges as a whole. Maintaining significant enrollment declines will lead to layoffs, making getting a quality and affordable education that much more difficult for those who need it the most.

Further, the cuts would likely come in the form of admissions and guidance counseling first – two of the most important pieces of getting students interested in the community college system and getting students on the right path to graduation and beyond. During COVID lockdowns, these two cogs in the college wheel ground to a halt and that is a direct reason for some of the slowing enrollment too.

Keeping monetary resources available to community college students is going to be one requirement to get students back onto campuses in late 2021 and beyond. Funding for tuition, childcare, Internet and computer access and food are still vital needs for the bulk of these students. Without this access, there is little chance the community college system will survive as we know it today.

The other big fear is this: will students continue to see college as the best way to get a leg up and make a better living for themselves and their families? The data about income and education (thusfar) tells us the answer is yes; at each new rung of the educational ladder, the average income and life expectancy increases. However, there are a growing number of students who no longer see a traditional education as the best way forward. Many are looking to ‘side-hustles’ and other at-large work that provides younger people access to as much money as they are willing to work for, but usually offered at limited hourly wages.

Solving the community college value question is really up to everyone in the educational advising space to help solve – independent counselors, high school college and guidance counselors, school psychologists, community college offices of admission and guidance offices at those colleges, and even larger organizations like NACAC need to get on board and get the word out to vulnerable populations that attending post high school educational opportunities like community college are still worth it.

For a link to the original article, please check this link: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/education/its-just-too-much-why-some-students-are-abandoning-community-colleges