By Jordan Nelson The Register-Herald
BECKLEY, W.Va. — The West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (HEPC) and Community and Technical College System (CTCS) reported Thursday headcount enrollment at West Virginia’s baccalaureate institutions dropped by 1.9 percent from fall 2018 to fall 2019.
More than 10,300 freshmen enrolled in four-year schools this fall, a drop of approximately 200 first-year freshmen from the year before, HEPC and CTCS officials reported.
Dr. Sarah Armstrong Tucker, CTCS Chancellor and interim HEPC Chancellor, noted West Virginia’s four-year enrollment numbers mirror national trends, and they are influenced by the state’s declining population, fewer high school graduates, and a decrease in the state’s college-going rate.
“Our four-year institutions are doing a great job of capturing high school students for dual enrollment courses before they graduate, but we have to increase the number of high school graduates continuing on to college,” Tucker said. “Our college-going rate declined two percentage points from 2017 to 2018, and that’s the second year in a row we’ve seen a decrease.” …