Trends
Colleges enrolled fewer freshmen, first decline since the pandemic
The preliminary data is the first significant look at enrollment trends following a year in which higher education suffered the defeat of affirmative action and a disastrous rollout of the new FAFSA.
Despite that growth, the total freshman head count of all ages across all segments of higher education was down 5 percent, the first decline since the start of the pandemic in 2020, when it plunged nearly 10 percent, according to Clearinghouse data. ... [5256 chars]