What you'll learn

• 1 (00:35) **Introduction: The Enrollment Crisis Defined** - Host Alex Ocelot introduces the show's focus: how three colleges are responding to a historic enrollment crunch in higher education.
• 2 (02:09) **Demographics at the Heart of the Problem** - Reporter Doug Belkin explains that a drop in births after the 2008 financial crisis has led to fewer potential enrollees, with roughly two million fewer students in college today than a decade ago.
• 3 (03:09) **The "Death Spiral" and Who's Most at Risk** - Belkin describes how enrollment problems can become self-reinforcing, and clarifies that small private schools are hit first, but the issue is spreading to larger institutions.
• 4 (04:42) **The Pricing Paradox: Sticker Prices vs. Net Cost** - Belkin explains how federal lending fueled tuition inflation, but the current crisis is forcing schools to drop net prices through larger "scholarships" or outright sticker-price reductions.
• 5 (06:39) **Case Study #1: Syracuse University** - Reporter Roshan Fernandez details how Syracuse, despite a $2.5 billion endowment and national brand, fell short of its enrollment goal this year.
• 6 (08:50) **Case Study #2: St. Michael's College** - Doug Belkin explains how this small Vermont college is fighting for survival in a region where seven schools have closed in the past decade.
• 7 (10:26) **Case Study #3: Hampshire College** - Roshan Fernandez tells the story of Hampshire College, which announced it would close after the fall 2024 semester, despite a 2019 fundraising effort led by alumnus Ken Burns.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app