Summary
College enrollment is dropping, with costs and debt turning students away. Learn why campuses face backlash and how free online learning might reshape education.
Why Are Fewer Students Enrolling in College? The Real Costs Behind the Decline
For decades, colleges have been touted as the golden ticket to success, but as declining college enrollment numbers show, fewer young people are buying that pitch—literally.
Data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reveals a sobering 5% drop in enrollment among 18-year-old freshmen this fall, signaling that something is fundamentally broken in higher education.
If you’re wondering what’s scaring students away, let’s pull back the ivy curtain. Spoiler: it’s not just TikTok and Gen Z rebellion. It’s the skyrocketing cost of a degree and the creeping suspicion that YouTube might be just as good (and free).
The Cost of College: Degrees of Absurdity
In the 1950s, earning a degree cost about as much as a used Chevy, and students could work part-time jobs to cover their expenses. Fast-forward to today, and college costs resemble mortgages, minus the house. The average in-state tuition for a four-year public university is $11,610 per year, while out-of-state tuition averages $30,780.
And that’s before we factor in hidden costs—like parking fees that would make even seasoned Manhattanites blush.
At UCLA, students shell out over $1,200 annually to park. In Florida, parking costs range from $100 at UCF to a staggering $617 for first-year University of Miami students. Want a textbook? Hope you’re okay with spending $200 on a “new edition” that’s 98% identical to last year’s. And don’t forget the privilege of buying your professor’s self-published book, which just so happens to be required reading.
Colleges might as well wear ski masks; the robbery is that blatant.
Declining College Enrollment; Loans, Lies, and Lifelong Debt
Perhaps the cruelest joke of all is the student loan system.
Imagine handing a teenager a six-figure loan before they’ve even figured out how taxes work. These loans are designed to be practically inescapable—no bankruptcy clause for you! It’s no wonder many graduates spend decades saddled with debt, their shiny diplomas mocking them from frames they can barely afford.
In the 2020s, we saw modest efforts to tackle this crisis, including President Biden’s loan forgiveness plan, which was ultimately shot down by the Supreme Court. Efforts like the SAVE repayment plan, meant to cut monthly payments, are facing their own legal challenges. The message to prospective students is clear: proceed at your own financial peril.
YouTube University: The Free Alternative
Here’s the kicker: most of what colleges teach can now be learned online—for free. Whether it’s coding, history, or even advanced mathematics, platforms like YouTube, Khan Academy, and Coursera have leveled the playing field. Why pay $50,000 to learn calculus when a friendly YouTuber can explain it better in a 10-minute video? Employers are starting to take notice, too. Self-taught candidates who’ve mastered skills independently may soon outshine their debt-burdened peers in the job market. Who looks like the fool now?
Woke Training and Nonstop Workshops
If the financial aspect isn’t bad enough, the cultural shift on campuses is giving students another reason to stay away. College isn’t just about academics anymore; it’s also a crash course in “woke training.” From Title IX workshops to sexual harassment prevention modules, many students find these mandatory sessions exhausting.
What’s ironic is the glaring absence of personal finance courses. A class teaching students how to budget might accidentally reveal that college loans are one of the worst financial decisions they could make. Oops! No wonder these classes aren’t required.
A Shift in the Tides?
The winds of change are blowing. Students are reevaluating the necessity of a traditional college education, and the cracks in the system are becoming harder to ignore. With rising costs, mounting debt, and alternative ways to learn, colleges are at a crossroads. They can adapt—or watch enrollment numbers continue to plummet.
What happens next will determine whether higher education remains a cornerstone of American success or becomes a relic of the past. For now, though, the message is clear: colleges have priced themselves out of their own market, and students are calling their bluff.
Source: The Guardian