The number of people attending Tennessee’s community colleges isn’t expected to pick back up in the fall. Eight out of 13 colleges are projecting either no enrollment growth or a decline for the next fiscal year, according to the Tennessee Board of Regents.
The remaining five campuses, TBR says, are projecting an average decline of 5%. Full-time enrollment is down 18% overall from the fall of 2019.
More: Tennessee Community Colleges See Fewer Adults Enrolling, As More Of Their Children Go Virtual
The decline is in part due to ongoing pandemic. Some adults who would otherwise be enrolled in college are unable to afford childcare or simply can’t find a place to send their kids. There’s also Tennessee’s red hot job market.
State education leaders say recent high school graduates have been choosing to go straight into the workforce instead of college. Inflation, which the Bureau of Labor Statistics says is at its highest in 40 years, has also made taking classes less affordable.
But to address the rising cost of groceries, gas and rent for students, the Tennessee Higher Education Commission froze tuition hikes in May for the upcoming academic year.
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