If high school students are entering skilled trades, to become plumbers, welders, machinists, pharmacy technicians, electricians, truck drivers, or construction workers the news of colleges shuttering down may not be a bad thing.
We know we have shortages in all those fields. There are plenty of high paying jobs in those fields and the job skills are transportable.
We also know that college is losing its value edge, with many degrees offered producing students who have little to no hope of attaining a job in their areas of study. Many who enter college have actually never read a complete book. Almost all new college entrants need remedial writing classes. So it might be safe to say that the combination of sending kids to colleges without basic college skills, along with colleges offering degrees that are financially dubious, while at the same time college is largely unaffordable due to bloated administrative staffs and wildly expensive recreation options on many campuses, simply is making college a poor choice financially.
College culture ain't what it used to be either.
Still, people with college degrees tend to earn far more than others, perhaps mostly true for those with practical degrees.
www.dailysignal.com
We know we have shortages in all those fields. There are plenty of high paying jobs in those fields and the job skills are transportable.
We also know that college is losing its value edge, with many degrees offered producing students who have little to no hope of attaining a job in their areas of study. Many who enter college have actually never read a complete book. Almost all new college entrants need remedial writing classes. So it might be safe to say that the combination of sending kids to colleges without basic college skills, along with colleges offering degrees that are financially dubious, while at the same time college is largely unaffordable due to bloated administrative staffs and wildly expensive recreation options on many campuses, simply is making college a poor choice financially.
College culture ain't what it used to be either.
Still, people with college degrees tend to earn far more than others, perhaps mostly true for those with practical degrees.
College Closures Expected to Skyrocket as Americans Turn Away From Higher Education
Annual college closures in the U.S. may increase as enrollment at higher education institutions continues to decline, a new report says.
www.dailysignal.com
College Closures Expected to Skyrocket as Americans Turn Away From Higher Education
News
Students at Jackson State University in Mississippi take a stand on Election Day during a "Stroll to the Poll" event. (Aron Smith/Jackson State University via Getty Images)
DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—Annual college closures may increase as enrollment at higher education institutions continues to decline, according to a new report.
If enrollment at universities continues its downward trend, as many as 80 additional colleges may be forced to shut down . . . data shows freshman college enrollment has reached its lowest point since the COVID-19 pandemic, declining by over 5%.
. . . Total enrollment at colleges and universitiesalready had fallen by 15% from 2010 to 2021.
“These simulations point to the precarious potential situation facing postsecondary education in the coming years, especially if the demographic cliff materializes in a moderate to severe fashion,” the report states. “While some of these estimated increases might seem small at the national level, they would be significant for the handful of localities predicted to experience college closures in a given year.”
The total number of higher education institutions declined by 2% from the previous academic year as of August, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Several factors affect students’ decision to opt out of higher education, though tensions on college campuses arising from continuous protests since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war may have made universities less desirable. Many high school graduates are instead choosing short-term certificate training programs over traditional degrees.
Universities have also been facing backlash for their apparent lack of response to—and sometimes blatant encouragement of—campus protests, leading to financial difficulties after several major donors ended their support of the institutions.
Meanwhile, the number of students enrolled at vocational schools rose 16% in 2023, and those training to become construction workers increased by 23%, according to The Wall Street Journal.
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