^^^ The total number of students applying to college has plateaued and even decreased for 2016-2017 (see chart: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/12/06/high-school-graduates-drop-number-and-be-increasingly-diverse), so it must be the latter.
^^^ The total number of students applying to college has plateaued and even decreased for 2016-2017 (see chart: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/12/06/high-school-graduates-drop-number-and-be-increasingly-diverse), so it must be the latter.