First-Year Enrollments at Higher Ed Institutions Take a Tumble

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A year of blustery headwinds resulted in a sharp drop in freshman enrollment—the first since the pandemic, data shows. The FAFSA fiasco may have played an outsize role.

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Higher ed institutions this fall experienced the steepest drop in first-year enrollment since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the latest data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

While overall postsecondary enrollment is up by 3 percent—the second straight year of growth—first-year enrollment fell by more than 5 percent, a drastic change from last fall’s small 1 percent increase. Enrollment among 18-year-olds declined by 6 percent, slightly more than for first-year applicants of all ages.

“It’s startling to see such a substantial drop in freshmen,” said clearinghouse research director Doug Shapiro. “It takes the size of the incoming class back to pre-2022 levels.”

Four-year institutions saw the largest decline, with an 8.5 percent drop at public colleges and a 6.5 percent decline at nonprofit privates. At institutions that serve the highest numbers of Pell-eligible students, first-year enrollment fell by more than 10 percent.

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