Enrollment decline may be stabilizing.

A strong economy and a shrinking pool of traditional college-age students contributed to falling enrollments at colleges and universities in a number of states across the country, a survey by the American Council on Education (ACE) shows. The declines continued a pattern seen over the past three years, but were more modest than in 1993 and 1994, indicating a trend toward stabilized enrollment.

ACE surveyed higher education officials in 24 states to gather preliminary data on fall, 1995, enrollments at two- and four-year public and private institutions. Enrollments in the states that provided complete data accounted for slightly more than 50% of the U.S. total in the 1994-95 school year, so their reports can be taken as a general indicator of national trends.

Of the 24 states that reported data on two-year institutions, 62% showed enrollment declines, compared to 78% in 1994. Decreases ranged from 0.7% in Colorado to 5.8% in Wisconsin. Of the states reporting four-year data, 54% showed enrollment reductions ranging from 0.7% in Ohio to 1.7% in New Jersey. Increases ranged from 0.2% in Illinois to 1.9% in Georgia.

Public institutions, both two-and four-year, continue to see their student populations shrink. Recession-induced reductions in state appropriations led to rapid tuition increases at most public institutions in the early 1990s, and some established enrollment caps to limit the number of students they served. Tuition increases at public institutions have moderated in the past two years as state fiscal conditions have improved, and appropriations for higher education have increased slightly, but better economic conditions also have led some potential students to forsake college for the job market.

Three states--New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut--reported declines in all sectors of higher education. Over all...