Amid nationwide “distrust” in higher education, new research delivers slim but welcome news for college leaders about students’ enrollment habits.
The share of recent high school graduates who enrolled in college and returned for a second year increased, according to the National Student Clearinghouse’s 2026 High School Benchmarks report.
This is especially true for students graduating from high-poverty schools. College persistence among this group increased 1.7 percentage points between the 2022 and 2023 graduating classes, up to 76%. Low-poverty-school graduates’ persistence rose 1.2 percentage points, to 90.6%, leaving a nearly 15-point gap.
“The improvements in persistence are modest, but they point to more students enrolling and persisting in college,” Senior Director of Research Matthew Holsapple says.
Meanwhile, immediate fall enrollment rates remain flat between the 2024 and 2025 high school graduating classes.
The largest increase was again found among graduates of high-poverty high schools. For the class of 2025, more than 22% of graduates immediately enrolled in a two-year institution, more than 8 percentage points higher than graduates of low-poverty schools. At the same time, only 28.9% of students enrolled in a four-year college, compared to 60% of graduates from low-poverty schools.
Among 2025 graduates attending two-year institutions, liberal arts and sciences, general studies and humanities was the most common area of study. Business was also among the leading fields.
Enrollment losses continue
However, colleges continue to report financial woes tied to shrinking enrollment.
University of Colorado Colorado Springs, for example, enrolled fewer students in the class of 2030, a 5% decline from the previous year, Axios reports. It’s the most severe drop the institution has ever recorded and marks the eighth straight year of decline.
Although first-year enrollment and transfers rose 6% and 3%, respectively, the share of out-of-state and returning students fell.
The university expects to lose roughly $7.4 million as students take fewer credit hours, The Denver Gazette reports.
Small, private, faith-based institutions are especially vulnerable, University Business’ Alcino Donadel reports. Pennsylvania’s University of Valley Forge announced its closure in July. Enrollment had fallen by 50% since 2007, leaving fewer than 500 students enrolled full-time.
In April, Anna Maria College, the 80-year-old private Catholic university, closed amid financial pressure that leadership “was ultimately unable to overcome,” according to President Sean Ryan and Board of Trustees Chair David Trainor.
“[C]ontinuing would not be responsible to the students, faculty, and staff who depend on us,” the leaders wrote. “We tried to find a way.”
The ‘new enrollment playbook’
Career-aligned education is quickly becoming an attractive selling point for high schoolers.
CTE programs are booming in places like the Cherry Creek School District, where enrollment in its Innovation Campus has more than tripled, Principal Steve Day told District Administration. The growth is driven by a change in perspective.
“College costs have gone up, and as people started looking at the return on investment for college, this became a very attractive alternative,” he said.
Across community colleges, career-aligned undergraduate certificate programs grew nearly 30% since fall 2021, according to a National University analysis.
In California, for example, undergraduate two-year pathways in health professions, business and mechanics have posted the highest enrollment gains since 2021, surpassing the four-year engineering track. Eight of the 10 fastest-growing fields are concentrated at the state’s community colleges.
California’s high school students are flocking to community colleges. Dual enrollment has grown 76% in six years, with 65,620 students participating this year.
Today’s students value affordability, program flexibility and career outcomes, Donadel writes.
“I think the current group of students is way more outcome-focused,” Kevin Krebs, founder and managing director at HelloCollege, previously told University Business. “Parents and students are nervous about a large investment not paying off.”
