Postsecondary enrollment in Washington dropped by 7.2% in spring 2022, according to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Nationally, enrollment dropped by 4.1%. Washington’s decline since spring 2021 is the nation’s fourth largest.

Washington’s biggest enrollment declines occurred in public two-year colleges, where enrollment dropped by 11.8% from 2021 to 2022. (See the charts below.)

Compared to pre-pandemic spring 2020, Washington’s enrollment has decreased by 10.7%, the ninth-biggest decline in the country. Nationally, enrollment from 2020 to 2022 decreased by 7.4%.

Meanwhile, data from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction show that statewide enrollment in Running Start dropped by 17.1% in school year 2021–22.

Earlier this year, the Washington Roundtable highlighted Washington’s declining postsecondary enrollment, writing, “These declines are particularly concerning as historic data indicate that delayed enrollment significantly reduces likelihood of credential completion and lifetime earnings.”