How the pandemic affected enrollment at the University of California and California’s community colleges differently

Nani Sumida:

California is home to three public higher education systems: the University of California (UC), California State University (CSU) and the California Community Colleges (CCC). Together, they educate about 80% of the nearly three million college students in the state.

But the three systems vastly differ in the types of students they educate and the impact that the coronavirus pandemic has had on undergraduate enrollment. Overall, the community college system educates more students of color and is experiencing dramatic declines in enrollment, leading to thousands of students of color leaving California’s public higher education system.

The Chronicle collected data on undergraduate enrollment for the 2019 and 2020 fall semesters for each of the three systems. Data on the current fall semester (2021) is not yet available and therefore was not included in the analysis.

Ordinarily, community college enrollment increases during an economic recession, with students choosing to attend school instead of compete for scarce jobs. But the pandemic is fundamentally different. Commuting to school has health risks for students and their families. Student parents — roughly four in ten at California Community Colleges — have limited child care assistance with most child care centers closed. Others attend school while also serving as front-line or essential workers.

“We just can’t overestimate the level of responsibility that the students that we serve have to their families and to this notion of working as a necessity. When you think about communities that have to make real choices about what to do during very challenging times, the choice often becomes what can I do to survive? And education can become second on the list for many of these students,” said Executive Vice Chancellor Dr. Lizette Navarette