There’s good news in US higher education if you look for it

Anxiety and uncertainty are high within US higher education right now. Anyone attending or working at an American university is struggling to understand what 2025 and beyond will bring. And, of course, the whirlwind of challenges did not start this year. Throughout 2024 there was no shortage of surveys revealing that an increasing percentage of Americans are disappointed with traditional colleges and universities.

Given this turbulence and uncertainty, it would seem almost perverse to talk about good news in higher education. Still, it exists and needs to be highlighted, if only to remind ourselves of our collective mission to educate students and advance their social and economic mobility.  

First, college applications are up. This is especially notable as the largest increases (a substantial 11 per cent) are from historically under-represented groups. Re-enrolment of Americans with some college but no degree is also up by 9 per cent to nearly 1 million students. That is still little more than 2 per cent of the almost 42 million people in that category, but that proportion should be pushed higher by the emergence of coaching programmes for adults seeking to return to college, new federal rules that make it harder for colleges to hold students’ transcripts, and the decrease in college dropouts, with six-year completion rates for the fall 2018 cohort reaching 61.1 per cent.

The rise in college applications is reflected in an overall rise in enrolments of 2.9 per cent last year. Every type of post-secondary institution saw increases, especially community colleges – whose 4.7 per cent growth saw their enrolment rebound to pre-pandemic levels. Increases were reported in a majority of states, especially in the South, the Midwest and rural states such as Maine.

College students’ mental health is also improving, with lower levels of depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation and increases in mental health care and support. This second consecutive year of improved outcomes perhaps indicates that the mental health challenges of the pandemic are receding.

On employability, student demand for apprenticeships currently outstrips supply. And three-year degrees are gaining momentum: good news for working adults and those seeking to accelerate their pathway to a degree. This is evidence of innovative thinking within higher education and a deep commitment to college completion for more Americans.

Despite America’s political divide, state support for post-secondary institutions surged by more than 10.2 per cent last year, demonstrating state policymakers’ continuing recognition of them as essential drivers of the nation’s economic future. College graduates in 2024 are likely to earn a higher starting salary than 2023 graduates, and the benefits of college degree attainment go well beyond financial gain.

Access is also getting fairer. Whatever our reservations about AI as a potential cheating tool, the technology is streamlining credit transfer, providing more precise tuition discounting estimates, better targeting student outreach and revolutionising retention, all of which bodes well for making authentic progress in closing student college completion gaps.

College Board data reveals that the inflation-adjusted cost of college has actually decreased over time, a powerful response to claims that the cost of college has become so high that it’s not worth it. In addition, in 2024, both Michigan and Massachusetts joined more than 30 other states in offering “free college”. The free college movement is combined with greater support for students’ basic needs, and both states offered $1,200 (£970) in vouchers for course materials for their poorest applicants. But even when such programmes only waive tuition, they are attention-grabbers that encourages lower-income families to see college as a viable option.

There is an increased focus on the effectiveness of individual institutions as “social mobility elevators”. And “guided pathways”, one of the “big bets” to improve outcomes for students attending community colleges, is showing results. More community colleges than ever are offering bachelor’s degrees, and the best programming identifies high-need areas and provides individuals, often living in education deserts, with expanded opportunities for career advancement.

Short-term Pell, sometimes known as Workforce Pell, continues to gain bipartisan support for its provision of shorter credential pathways to meet today’s workforce needs; hopefully it will secure the new Congress’ approval. And last year’s nationwide implementation of the “Second Chance Pell” should reduce criminal recidivism; research demonstrates that those who receive post-secondary education in prison are 48 per cent less likely to return.

We have seen a strong movement away from legacy admissions in the wake of the 2023 Supreme Court ruling against the use of race in admissions. This practice is increasingly seen as benefiting the offspring of white, wealthy alumni; returning American higher education to its populist roots can be a way for it to “win back America”.

Higher education already benefited from a 12.5 per cent increase in philanthropic investment in 2024, reaching almost $60 billion. This includes a dozen “mega-gifts”, including an eye-popping $1 billion to the Johns Hopkins University Medical School to make medical training free for all students. More than 45 per cent of higher education institutions report an increase in their number of donors as well, a positive indicator of long-term sustainability and support.

None of this is to deny the profound challenges higher education must address. But amid the current uncertainty, it is as well to acknowledge that while US post-secondary education is imperfect, it remains among the best strategies for individuals to gain a foothold in the middle class and contribute to the nation’s economic and social prosperity.

Eileen L. Strempel is inaugural dean of the Herb Alpert School of Music and professor of education at the University of California, Los Angeles. Stephen J. Handel is a higher education writer living in California.