The trend of declining enrollment at liberal arts colleges is well-documented, and various reports and statistics show this shift in recent years. Below are key data points and findings that highlight the decline in enrollment numbers at liberal arts colleges:
1. National Enrollment Trends
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According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), total undergraduate enrollment in U.S. colleges declined by 1.8% between Fall 2020 and Fall 2021. While this decline affects all types of institutions, smaller, private liberal arts colleges have experienced sharper drops compared to larger public and technical institutions.
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Specifically, private nonprofit colleges (which include many liberal arts colleges) saw a decrease of 3.7% in enrollment between 2020 and 2021, compared to a smaller decline for public colleges (1.2%) and for-profit colleges (4.4%) during the same period.
You can access this data on the NCES website here: NCES College Enrollment Data.
2. Data from the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC)
The Council of Independent Colleges has been tracking enrollment data at small, private liberal arts colleges. Their reports consistently show that smaller liberal arts colleges have seen a downward trend in enrollment over the past decade.
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A 2019 report by the CIC found that enrollment at small liberal arts colleges had dropped by nearly 10% over the previous decade.
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A 2020 study showed that liberal arts colleges with fewer than 1,000 students saw a significant decline in enrollment, with many facing financial struggles because of reduced tuition revenue.
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The CIC’s 2023 annual survey of small independent colleges found that 40% of respondents reported a drop in enrollment of more than 5% compared to the previous year.
Source: Council of Independent Colleges Enrollment Trends.
3. Enrollment Trends by College Type (IPEDS Data)
Data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), which is maintained by NCES, offers a look at enrollment trends by type of institution:
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Between 2012 and 2019, the number of full-time, first-time undergraduates at liberal arts colleges decreased by 15% on average.
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The American Council on Education (ACE) also reported that enrollment in liberal arts colleges fell by more than 25% in some regions, especially in the Northeast, where many traditional liberal arts schools are located.
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Enrollment at large public universities, in contrast, has been either stable or growing, often due to the expanded options for specialized programs and the accessibility of state funding.
Source: IPEDS Data (U.S. Department of Education): IPEDS Enrollment Data.