It’s always nice to start a post with some positive news. Enrollment is up this fall! That’s something worth celebrating. In this week’s issue, we take a closer look at the early numbers and what they might mean for institutions and students alike. We’ll wrap up with a discussion about the growing trend of students pursuing double majors and how that might shape the future labor market. 

After reading today’s issue, share your thoughts about whether your institution’s fall enrollment matches the NSCRC report in the comments! 

Early Fall Enrollment Numbers 

From Enrollment Growth Continues, Bolstered by Short-Term Credentials | Inside Higher Ed 

According to preliminary fall data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, Fall 2025 enrollment is up two percent compared to Fall 2024. 

Our Thoughts  

This is excellent news. For the third straight year, enrollment is pointing up with the strongest gains at community colleges and for students enrolled in short-term credential programs. While these may be early reads, they are directionally strong and exactly what we wanted to see for higher education this fall.  

While the news is good, let’s look at the early story this growth seems to be telling. Short-term credential and community college growth likely reflect students choosing faster, job-linked pathways and, for some, lingering skepticism about the value and cost of a four-year degree. Policy is also nudging the market. Workforce Pell created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act opens aid to qualifying short programs, and several states are investing in workforce certificates. Put those together and you get more adults returning and more twenty-somethings opting for direct routes to work. 

The computer science drop deserves attention. CS enrollments fell 7.7 percent overall and 15 percent in graduate programs. Some of this may be oversupply and headlines about tech layoffs. Students also see a tougher entry-level market as AI reshapes work. Indeed’s data show tech job postings well below pre-pandemic baselines and researchers find early-career employment declines concentrated in AI-exposed roles. Even if AI is not the only cause, perceptions matter when students select majors for degrees they’ll earn four years later. 

As CS enrollment declines, students are shifting to other high-demand fields. Health professions and engineering are experiencing significant growth, with community colleges reporting double-digit gains in health and technician programs. Many view these areas as more resilient to automation, and they connect cleanly to regional labor demand. Older learner growth is another bright spot, with increases among students 25 to 29 and over 30, which aligns with upskilling in a shifting job. 

Taken together, these early gains are worth celebrating. While these results are preliminary and cover roughly half of reporting institutions, the direction is clear enough to act. In the near term, student-centered stackable credentials remain one of the best options. The more clearly marked paths on and off the postsecondary track, the more opportunities students have to pause, rejoin, and keep moving based on their life circumstances. Make those pathways transparent, credit-bearing, and aligned to regional employment, so this year’s lift becomes more permanent progress. 

Doubling Double Majors 

From Students worried about getting jobs are adding extra majors | The Hechinger Report 

More students are adding a second major as they believe this gives them a competitive edge after graduation.  

Our Thoughts  

This piece captures a real shift on campus. Students are diversifying their skill sets with double majors and stackable certificates to hedge against a job market that feels unpredictable. Nationally more graduates are leaving with multiple credentials than a decade ago. Studies also suggest there can be a payoff, especially when pairings span disciplines, with evidence of higher earnings in some combinations and markedly lower exposure to income shocks for double majors over time.  

I understand the student appeal in a tight market. If flat-rate tuition, overlapping requirements, and banked AP or dual-enrollment credits keep time to degree in check, a second major or certificate can feel like an affordable way to stand out. The broader credential picture reflects that instinct: multiple-award earning has risen, and certificate completion has reached a ten-year high. For many undergraduates, that mix looks like a practical response to labor signals rather than an academic arms race. 

My caution is equity. Not every learner can play this game. Adult students, working learners, parents, and many first-generation students did not arrive with low-cost head starts from AP or dual enrollment and often juggle jobs and caregiving simply to finish one major. We also have millions of adults with some college and no credential re-entering higher education. If double majors and extra certificates become the new baseline, we risk raising the bar in ways that shut out the very populations we are trying to serve. While I’m not sure I have the answers, it’s something we should carefully consider as we potentially seek to make earning multiple credentials easier for students.