As has become an end-of-year tradition at Eduventures, we ask our team to reflect on something specific they learned through their research over the past year.

As has become an end-of-year tradition at Eduventures, we ask our team to reflect on something specific they learned through their research over the past year.
In the early days of 2022—buffeted by a few “small” things such as Omicron, massive federal stimulus, roaring inflation, an acute labor shortage, and a sky-high stock market—I fearlessly made three predictions for higher education, something I do every year.
Pandemic-induced enrollment declines have reshaped the composition of freshman classes. Eduventures’ 2022 Admitted Student Research™ sample shows a decline of 11% among first generation students and 13% among those from low-income households, compared to a 67% increase in students from high-income families between 2019 to 2022.
A recent study by New America reported that 55% of respondents said online learning was as good as or better than in-person instruction, up from 37% a year ago.
In August, President Biden announced unprecedented plans to forgive a big chunk of federal student loan debt—an estimated 45% of borrowers will be debt free—prompting heated debate about plan details, who stands to benefit, impact on public finances, and even the legality of the move.
The predicted success of academic programs is often based on a combination of projected labor demand and historic student demand. The underlying assumption is that students gravitate toward programs that offer positive employment prospects.