A look at the 'enrollment cliff' facing colleges and universities
UC President Neville Pinto discusses the trend in Cincinnati Enquirer opinion article
President Neville Pinto discussed enrollment trends and challenges to come in an opinion article published in the Cincinnati Enquirer.
In the article, Dr. Pinto specifically mentioned the "enrollment cliff," the idea that student populations at universities across the country are dwindling.
"Before we visualize ourselves as lemmings rushing toward the edge, though, it’s worth looking through the numbers at the people behind them," he said.
He added that certain schools, including the University of Cincinnati, are on an "enrollment roll," with growing numbers, even during the pandemic, which isn't to deny the existence of future challenges.
However, growth sometimes comes from non-traditional sources.
"Universities often focus their enrollment lens almost entirely on freshmen. As it happens, our freshman numbers were down slightly this fall, but online and transfer students increased substantially, contributing to the record enrollment. Our summer enrollment, too, is now the largest in Ohio," he said.
Dr. Pinto added that part-time student numbers have also increased nationwide, especially at four-year public schools. As with online learning, this continues a trend that peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Educating more of us is essential because it enhances every aspect of an economy driven by knowledge and lifelong learning," he says.
"Universities are repositories of knowledge, yes, but also economic engines and creativity fountains. The changes education can bring people and communities are difficult to measure but hard to miss. Even a cliff offers us all a better view."
Read the full opinion article on the Cincinnati Enquirer website.
Become a Bearcat
Whether you’re a first-generation student or from a family of Bearcats, UC is proud to support you at every step along your journey. We want to make sure you succeed — and feel right at home. Apply today.
Related Stories
Sugar overload killing hearts
November 10, 2025
Two in five people will be told they have diabetes during their lifetime. And people who have diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease. One of the deadliest dangers? Diabetic cardiomyopathy. But groundbreaking University of Cincinnati research hopes to stop and even reverse the damage before it’s too late.
Is going nuclear the solution to Ohio’s energy costs?
November 10, 2025
The Ohio Capital Journal recently reported that as energy prices continue to climb, economists are weighing the benefits of going nuclear to curb costs. The publication dove into a Scioto Analysis survey of 18 economists to weigh the pros and cons of nuclear energy. One economist featured was Iryna Topolyan, PhD, professor of economics at the Carl H. Lindner College of Business.
App turns smartwatch into detector of structural heart disease
November 10, 2025
An app that uses an AI model to read a single-lead ECG from a smartwatch can detect structural heart disease, researchers reported at the 2025 Scientific Sessions of the American Heart Association. Although the technology requires further validation, researchers said it could help improve the identification of patients with heart failure, valvular conditions and left ventricular hypertrophy before they become symptomatic, which could improve the prognosis for people with these conditions.