In the fall of 2019, 2.6 million students started their college careers. The following semester, the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, bringing with it unprecedented adversity for learners. Facing financial hardship, learning challenges, and overwhelming anxiety and grief, 679,000 students would not return for their second year. As COVID-19’s impact ebbed and flowed with vaccine rollouts and seasonal surges, college enrollment continued to fall.
According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, community colleges have suffered the most, losing nearly 830,000 students since spring 2020. These learners are joining a cohort that is as staggering in its scope as it is diverse in its members: the 39 million Americans with some college credit but no credential.
Re-enrollment success doesn’t materialize from a one-size-fits-all solution. But how can schools tailor their re-enrollment processes to fit the individual needs of students who have stopped out? This report from InsideTrack provides an answer with best practices and lived experiences from experts across the community college and higher education landscape.