College or Bust ... or Both: The Effects of the Great Recession on College Enrollment

• In Event: Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Assessment in Higher Education

Abstract

This paper looks at how the Great Recession caused changes in two-year and four-year college enrollment patterns for students aged 18-24. In particular, I examine how the odds of enrollment have changed for Black and Hispanic students.On the one hand, higher unemployment could prompt people to enroll in college, but on the other, reduced credit availability could decrease an individual’s ability to cover tuition costs. Using a multinomial logistic model, I find that the odds of college enrollment increased after the onset of the Great Recession. The impact was not significantly different for Black students when compared with their White counterparts. However, Hispanic students were almost twice as likely to enroll in a two-year college.

Author

• Tolani Britton, Harvard University