How the economy effects student enrollment

The enrollment effects of changes in the economy often are unexpectedly complex, but important to understand. Positive enrollment effects can result from increasing job market opportunities for college graduates or from decreasing job market opportunities for noncollege graduates. General economic recessions usually reduce job market opportunities in positions traditionally held by noncollege graduates more than they do opportunities in positions normally held by college graduates. As a result, general economic recessions can stimulate enrollment by making job market opportunities for college graduates relatively superior to those for noncollege graduates. Also, when conditions in the college job market deteriorate, enrollment tends to favor colleges emphasizing professional or vocational curricula. However, when college job market opportunities increase, enrollment tends to favor colleges emphasizing traditional liberal arts and sciences curricula (Paulsen and Pogue 1988).