More students are choosing to hold off on enrolling in four-year colleges following high school graduation, instead entering the workforce or enrolling in a technical program.
College enrollment nationwide dropped by 6.8% for the fall of 2020, four and a half times larger than the 2019 rate. Overall college enrollment rate declined to 56.5% from 60.5% in 2019, according to the “High School Benchmarks” report by the National Student Clearinghouse. The report provides data on high school graduates' post secondary enrollment, among other statistics.
Declines in enrollment were a little over two times steeper for low-income high schools compared to high-income high schools. Although the report found that public four-year enrollment was unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic, community college enrollment declined the most in low-income high schools.
Southern Minnesota education officials are also witnessing the trend of an increased number of recent graduates entering the workforce or attending technical programs right after high school.
“Students are making different choices about what they intend to do right after high school,” Owatonna Superintendent Jeff Elstad said. “I think for many years, it was an assumption that when you got done with high school you went right in to get a college degree, while things have changed.”
The demand for skilled trade workers has increased, driving some students to attend two-year schools instead of four-year schools to pick up those skills. Elstad has also noticed that some students are saying they aren’t ready to make the commitment to a college education yet, instead jumping into the workforce to make some money and buying themselves some time to figure that out.
“I think we see some students that enter college and they kind of get in a quandary about exactly what they want to do. Now they've spent a year or two in tuition and then they say, ‘Well this wasn't what I wanted’ and so it kind of becomes a poor investment,” Elstad said.
Laura Attenberger, director of secondary relations/Perkins Grant at South Central College in Faribault has also noticed this hesitation. Student debt is increasingly becoming an issue for many college graduates. More information and education regarding the price tag of postsecondary education is available now, allowing students to make more informed decisions, she said.
Attenberger also pointed to the federal legislation known as Perkins V as a potential reason as to why this trend exists. Perkins V, signed into law in 2018, places an emphasis on career and technical education. It provides funding, resources and partnerships between colleges and school districts to offer career exploration opportunities, dual enrollment, and other workforce related projects for students.
Attenberger is working to get the word out there so students know their options before heading out into the world. In partnership with Faribault High School, South Central will launch its pathway program High School to College and Career (H2C) this fall. The first pathway established within the program is the Health Science pathway and students will be able to earn college credit. Despite the pathway being designed for Faribault High School, the pathways could be expanded to other high schools in the future.
“(Students) can earn college credit while they're in high school, through either concurrent enrollment or PSEO, and students are able to earn those college credits tuition free and they will be directly applied towards an award at South Central College,” Attenberger said.
Depending on the award earned, students spend less time at South Central College or they may even come out of high school with a short-term certificate. Another important component of these programs is embedding industry-recognized credentials. For example, students in the health sciences pathway have the chance to earn CPR or nursing assistant certification.
Since 2018, South Central College has hosted Career Navigator events inviting ninth grade students at Faribault High School and other regional high schools to attend. These events allow students to interact with industry professionals and educators in various career fields and participate in hands-on activities and tour learning spaces.
“Offering options for students to enroll in career and technical education courses allows them to start a Career and Technical Education that is going to get them into a high-wage, high-demand job and not leave college with a ton of debt,” Attenberger said.