Higher education has had a bit of a rough time this decade. Largely the result of a demographic dip in the number of high school graduates – but also because of concerns over costs and politics – nationwide undergraduate enrollment is down about 7% from 2019, according to the nonprofit Education Data Initiative.
Higher education has had a bit of a rough time this decade. Largely the result of a demographic dip in the number of high school graduates – but also because of concerns over costs and politics – nationwide undergraduate enrollment is down about 7% from 2019, according to the nonprofit Education Data Initiative.
WBJ Editor Brad Kane
So, it has been encouraging to see a rise in enrollment at key Central Massachusetts institutions over the last year or two, such as at Worcester State University and Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester. For the current school year, no school saw an enrollment spike higher than Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, where headcount rose 20%. As WBJ Staff Writer Mica Kanner-Mascolo writes in the Jan. 27 edition's cover story “Enrollment surge”, this spike has been fueled by Massachusetts state programs essentially making community college free to attend.
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The challenge now before MWCC, QCC, and other higher ed institutions is to retain these new students and make sure they are supported in their efforts to obtain degrees and start careers. MWCC President James Vander Hooven in the “Enrollment surge” story says this includes ensuring students’ personal needs are met, so issues like food insecurity or child care don’t derail their educational progress.
A highly educated workforce is key to a thriving economy. This has been a staple of the Central Mass. economy for generations, and it is encouraging to see government and higher education officials committed to furthering education for the next generation or more. While college doesn’t have to be for everyone, an increase in the number of well-educated workers will greatly benefit the region’s ability to innovate and grow a well-oiled business community.
This is true locally and nationally. Even though college enrollment has dipped in the 2020s, educational attainment has increased steadily across the country over the past century. In 2020, the portion of people with a high school diploma or higher set a then-record of 91% while the portion of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher hit a then-record of 38%, according to EDI. Preliminary data for this decade released by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2023 shows those numbers are at least holding steady.
Despite all the other noise, this is encouraging.
Brad Kane is the editor of the Worcester Business Journal.
