Tennessee's Effort to Improve Higher Education Enrollments

Student enrollment is on the minds of just about all higher education leaders these days. Inside Higher Education reports that in the state of Tennessee, "a precipitous drop in high school graduates enrolling in college—the lowest numbers seen in a decade—has raised alarm bells and prompted state officials to double down on efforts to slow the decline and attract more students." Existing programs that were previously effective at getting new high school graduates to enroll in college may not be as effective right now, the same report indicates.

The report also notes that what Tennessee is experiencing is also the case for many higher education institutions and systems across the country. and that Tennessee "is also similar to others in its efforts to increase the number of state residents with postsecondary degrees or certificates in order to meet labor market needs and fill jobs that currently don’t have enough qualified candidates."

From Inside Higher Education: "For the University of Tennessee system, spreading the message about the scholarships and grants—particularly about UT Promise, which is still relatively new and went into effect during the first year of the pandemic—has grown in importance... but so has the idea that all institutions must gauge what students want and need and provide it for them."

You can download Tennessee's recent report on the state's enrollment issues here.