Report: Michigan colleges face enrollment decline

Colleges and universities in Michigan admit that they’re struggling with enrollment as more people forego a four-year college degree in favor of other options, such as trades or other professional fields.

Local news outlet Wood TV reported the news about enrollment issues in Michigan.

At Western Michigan University, its Cooley Law School announced it will not enroll an incoming 2023 summer class. Over a decade ago in 2011, the law school had over 3,600 law students. In October 2022, that number fell to 500 students, which is a 86% decline.

The enrollment decline has also affected Michigan’s community colleges, which has fallen about 31% from 2017 to 2022. Vice president of Michigan Community College Association, Erica Orians, said, “Community college enrollment historically has been really tied to the labor market and I think a lot of people know there are good jobs right now and students are often making choice between getting a job and going to college.”

But the article did not mention the reasons behind high tuition costs in higher education, which is due to federal subsidies and a bloated administrative bureaucracy.

Post-pandemic, potential college enrollees appear to realize that a college degree (and the resulting student loan debt) may not be worth it. As a result, colleges and universities across the country are suffering from faltering enrollment.

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