Big name schools with massive endowments will survive this crunch just fine. The smaller schools will feel the most pain.
The Guardian reports:
US community colleges see ‘chilling’ decline in enrollment during pandemicDavid Ramirez, a student at Pasadena City College in Pasadena, California, struggled with balancing work and classes during the pandemic. Ramirez, who works at Starbucks, worked at least 30 hours a week in addition to his classes.He wasn’t alone. The number of students enrolled in community colleges – local educational establishments that offer two-year courses and are often seen as an affordable stepping stone to higher education – was down 9.5% this past spring, about 476,000 fewer students than in spring 2020, according to National Student Clearinghouse data released last month.The fall has experts worried about the long-term impact of the pandemic on the less-well-off. During recessions, enrollment at community colleges tends to increase as those who become unemployed go back to school. But the disproportionate impact Covid-19 had on low-income and non-white Americans, populations that community colleges tend to serve, created a plunge in community college attendance during the pandemic.“I didn’t really have the option to stay virtual and work from home, so I was essentially exposed to this virus every single day. That was a lot to handle on a day-to-day basis and then go home and try to work on schoolwork,” Ramirez said. “That’s the daily experience for students, especially because financial aid for community college doesn’t really cover the full cost of attendance.”
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