JFF VP Michael Collins in “Report Finds Enrollment Gaps at Community Colleges and Among Black Students”

FF Vice President Michael Collins was recently quoted in an article in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.

The September 1 article focused on the initial results of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s new ongoing study of the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to online education have had on college enrollment rates.

The organization found that decreases in enrollment rates during the pandemic are higher among Black and male students than they are among students of other demographic groups. It also revealed that community colleges and for-profit institutions have experienced steeper enrollment declines than other postsecondary schools.

Collins, who chairs the Research Center’s board of directors, observed that the findings may reveal that students are beginning to question the value of a college education. “In some ways, this may be giving us an indication of what students actually think about the premium and the value of their credentials,” he said. “I think that’s a huge story line that’s actually counter to the conversation we are currently having in higher education right now.”

He predicted that people will increasingly turn to postsecondary education to earn short-term credentials and recommended that schools begin offering students information about the impact various types of credentials can have on their earning potential.