Pedro Navarrete

The pandemic hit us really hard.

Since the 22-23 academic year, we've been on an enrollment recovery.

More than 18 million students were enrolled in some sort of higher education this spring, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse.

Enrollment in community colleges, which includes trades and vocational degrees, reached 5.8 million, more than 5% above spring 2021.

Pedro Navarrete oversees admissions at Yakima Valley College, which mainly offers associates and certificate degrees in Washington state.

He says as life gets more expensive, a cheaper degree at a community college is even more important.

It's not all gains, though.

The new national data did show declines in master's degree programs and also among international students, especially in graduate school.

NPR News.