Issue In Higher Education: Declining Enrollment

Issue in Higher Education: Declining EnrollmentNameAcademic InstitutionCourse Number and NameInstructorDue DateIssue in Higher Education: Declining EnrollmentAccording to Wiley Education Services (2021), declining college enrollment rates have been a growing issue in higher education over the last six years, with only 34% of colleges and universities reporting they met their target enrollment goal in 2017. This follows a downward trend, with 42% of institutions achieving their enrollment target just two years previously (Wiley Education Services, 2021). At the same time, college tuition rates have been steadily increasing (Millea et al., 2018), which creates a financial barrier to college accessibility. According to Barnes & Noble College (2021), 41 percent of students feel their universities are increasing tuition rates without any regard for the negative impact on students. This is a problem because fewer people are attending college, and declining college attendance equates with a less educated society. At the same time, understanding the scope of the problem is an opportunity for educational reform. The following research explores why college enrollment rates have been steadily declining over the last five