College options increase as college enrollment decreases

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – When it comes to finding the right college, Victor High School Sophomore McKensie Zafuto says finding the right degree program is just one of many factors under consideration.

“It’d be nice to have a college with a program that I really want to study. And, I also think the environment is really important because you want to have that perfect feel because it’s going to be less of an experience I guess,” Zafuto said.

Some people are searching beyond state schools in New York to find the perfect fit.

Maghin Tuma said of her daughter Zafuto, “This is actually our first event that we have kind of gone to to see what’s out there. She’s not sure if she wants to stay in the area. She wants to see what’s all over the place, so we are just kind of wandering and trying to figure out. To get a bunch of brochures to try and figure out where to go.”

According to the National Student Clearinghouse, there was a little more than a million fewer college undergraduate students when compared to 2019.

Mcquaid Jesuit High School Director of Counseling John Serafine says college fairs are playing an important role.

“I think the biggest change in college admissions over the last couple of years is that during COVID there were no standardized testing, so SATs and ACTs were put on hold because testing centers weren’t available.

But, obstacles haven’t stopped students like Zafuto from getting a head start.

“We just kind of wanted to explore more options to see what was both available in the area and kind of across nationally too.”

Options continue to expand as enrollment numbers continue to drop.

America’s college rate was on the upswing prior to the COVID 19 pandemic, which a national student clearinghouse study says reversed decades of enrollment increases.