ALBANY- A recent report issued by State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli warns of a looming “enrollment cliff” for the state’s public and private colleges amid a change in the state’s demographics. The impact of enrollment declines over the last decade has impacted the finances of several public and private institutions, with a handful of institutions downsizing or closing.
In December 2023, the College of Saint Rose in Albany announced it would permanently close its doors after the end of the 2023-2024 academic year.
“Declining enrollment over the last decade has already hurt the finances of several public and private institutions, forcing a few to downsize or close their doors,” said DiNapoli.
The report revealed that the college-age population that drives enrollments at postsecondary institutions has been dropping as a share of the total population nationally. It also forecasts a drop beginning in 2025 which is inline with enrollment trends over the past decade.
For the Fall 2023 semester, 367,542 students were enrolled at the State University of New York (SUNY), its first year-over-year increase since the same time in 2010 with nearly three-quarters of the growth occurring at community colleges.
The Fall 2022 semester marked a 15-year low-point for all public and private college enrollment at 896,000 students. This was the lowest total enrollment over a 15-year period, a decline of approximately 73,000 full-time students, or 7.6 percent since Fall 2008. The decline was led by the nearly 14 percent drop in enrollment at public institutions, driven by decreases at community colleges that began in 2011.
“New York’s future depends on our institutions of higher education staying competitive by ensuring they are affordable, are diverse, and nurture a spirit of innovation and community in their students,” said DiNapoli.
