US Colleges Set Enrollment Record

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This is the VOA Special English Education Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com College enrollment has reached an all-time high in the United States. About forty percent of all eighteen- to twenty-four-year-olds -- or almost eleven and a half million -- were in school in October of last year. A new report says both numbers are record highs. Richard Fry at the Pew Research Center points to a number of reasons. He says the number of young adults who have finished high school is also now at a record all-time high. Almost eighty-five percent of America's young adults have finished high school. Another reason for the enrollment increase: the recession. The unemployment rate reached a twenty-six year high in October. The economic downturn has hit young adults especially hard. Richard Fry says their job-holding rate is almost at the lowest point in nearly fifty years. In a poor job market, many people turn to higher education, especially at two-year colleges. These schools, known as community colleges, have had the greatest enrollment increase. They offer professional training and cost a lot less than programs at four-year schools. But experts say the recession has not cut enrollment in four-year programs, even with their higher costs. The Chronicle of Higher Education says at least fifty-eight private colleges now charge fifty thousand dollars or more a year. Lately there have been accusations that some private, competitive liberal arts colleges are trying

Published 2009-12-10 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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