College enrollment has finally recovered, thanks in large part to the surge in enrollment at community colleges. Two-year career and technical education programs are feeling this growth acutely with some of the largest enrollment increases of any sector in higher education.
How are the students fueling higher education’s recovery faring financially? Compared to their peers at four-year universities, two-year community college students have higher financial need. They are more likely to come from low-income households with less financial support from family, and they often face gaps in financial aid packages. The result is a risky balancing act: many community college students work long hours, take on debt and sacrifice essentials like food just to stay enrolled.
This precarity may soon intensify: the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) cut the social safety net that many students rely on like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. For already food-insecure students, such changes could push degree completion further from reach.
Read more at Community College Daily.
