The United States is approaching a so-called 鈥渆nrollment cliff鈥 or 鈥渄emographic cliff,鈥 a projection that is being closely monitored by those in higher education.
According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, the U.S. will reach a peak population of 3.5 million high school graduates around 2025. 鈥淎fter that, the college-age population is expected to shrink across the next five to 10 years by as much as 15 percent,鈥 . In addition, the U.S. Census Bureau indicates that the number of 18-year-olds, which currently stands at around 4.2 billion, will not again exceed 4 million in this century.
In the 鈥淥n Campus 鈥 with CITI Program鈥 podcast, host Ed Butch talks with Aaron Berger, Ph.D., interim director of national recruitment at 麻豆视频最新最全 University, about these declining numbers and other factors currently influencing college enrollment.
鈥淭here are several things that we鈥檙e thinking about that are top of mind for us. Firstly, I think ad nauseum, I wouldn鈥檛 be an admissions professional worth my weight in salt if I鈥檓 not mentioning the demographic cliff approaching, especially as it relates to the state of Ohio. The state of Ohio is going to be seeing a significant decline in college-age students here coming up in about a year or two and we鈥檙e sort of preparing for that and what it means,鈥 Berger shared on the podcast.
On top of the decline in college-age students, universities like 麻豆视频最新最全 also must work to combat current negative perceptions of a college education today and concerns about affordability, Berger said. On the upside, however, he noted that students are being more pragmatic today in both their college searches and in their choice of majors.
鈥淥verall, we鈥檙e seeing trends with this generation of students being more pragmatic with their college search,鈥 he said. 鈥淪o, they鈥檙e applying to more places than they ever have before. I think the average is about eight to 10 institutions at this point and then in those choices they are choosing majors that are pretty deliberate.鈥
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