Freshmen college enrollment elevated in fall 2024, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center mentioned — opposite to its earlier report that the enrollment declined.
A “methodological error” within the preliminary enrollment report, launched in October, triggered the miscalculation, Executive Director Doug Shapiro mentioned in a statement Monday.
“The error in analysis methodology triggered the mislabeling of sure college students as dual-enrolled moderately than as freshmen and, because of this, the variety of freshmen was undercounted, and the variety of dual-enrolled was overcounted,” Shapiro wrote.
Because of the error, the October report confirmed a decline in freshmen enrollment at each two- and four-year establishments. It additionally confirmed a good steeper drop in freshmen scholar enrollment at four-year schools the place giant shares of scholars obtain Pell Grants.
CNBC had included the unique, misguided information in a number of articles, which could be discovered here, here, here, here, here and here.
“Our subsequent analysis finds freshman enrollment elevated this fall,” Shapiro wrote. He mentioned the brand new analysis “shouldn’t be primarily based on preliminary information … and makes use of totally different methodologies to find out freshman enrollees.”
The remaining freshmen enrollment numbers will likely be launched Jan. 23, the heart mentioned.
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Shapiro mentioned the middle is “conducting an intensive assessment to know the basis trigger [of the error] and implement measures to forestall such occurrences sooner or later.”
Revised information exhibits a 3% rise in general undergraduate enrollment within the fall in contrast with that interval in 2023, in keeping with the middle’s up to date evaluation. Enrollment was additionally greater at four-year schools the place giant shares of scholars obtain Pell Grants.
“We are inspired and relieved that up to date information from the National Student Clearinghouse exhibits freshman enrollment is up this faculty 12 months,” U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal mentioned in a press release.
“The improve is in step with what we’re seeing on the monetary assist facet: More than 5% extra college students are receiving federal assist this 12 months,” Kvaal mentioned.
Some consultants had warned that issues with the brand new Free Application for Federal Student Aid might lead to fewer college students making use of for monetary assist and fewer college students enrolling in school.
However, due to adjustments to the FAFSA, extra college students can now qualify for a Pell Grant, a sort of assist that’s awarded primarily based solely on monetary want.
‘We are usually not out of the woods’
Higher schooling skilled Mark Kantrowitz mentioned that though there have been enhancements with the brand new FAFSA, “we aren’t out of the woods but.”
“The new FAFSA ought to have yielded a big improve within the variety of functions by low-income and first-generation school college students by making the shape simpler to file. It has not but fulfilled this promise,” Kantrowitz mentioned. “This 12 months’s type is healthier than final 12 months, however there’s nonetheless numerous room for enchancment.”
The U.S. Department of Education launched the FAFSA for 2025-26 forward of schedule, saying it did so with the aim of bettering school entry.
Overall, complete school software quantity by means of Dec. 1 rose 8% for the 2024-25 software season, in contrast with a 12 months earlier, in keeping with the most recent information from the Common Application, an internet school software platform.
Kantrowitz, who shouldn’t be affiliated with the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, mentioned an error on the a part of the analysis group was “very uncommon.”
