The number of Americans enrolling in college has dropped sharply since the beginning of the pandemic.
A new report found that undergrad enrollment dropped 3.1 percent last fall, and has dropped 6.6 percent since 2019.
Overall, that adds up to 1.2 million fewer students attending college this year.
College enrollment dropped by almost half a million in fall https://t.co/MSbAvrvGya pic.twitter.com/c5naQSjBAH
— The Hill (@thehill) January 13, 2022
But it’s not all the pandemic – soaring tuition costs and other factors were already pushing down college enrollment at the national level.
What will be the long-term economic effect of fewer students attending college? Should there be a free public college option for Americans?