Men Still Lag Behind Women In NJ College Enrollment Statistics

NEW JERSEY — What higher education researchers call a "male enrollment crisis" on college campuses has persisted in New Jersey over the past five years with fewer and fewer men choosing to go to college.

There were about 35,000 more women than men signed up for classes at state colleges and universities last fall, according to fall enrollment data from the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education. This includes enrollment at public 4-year colleges, county colleges, religiously-affiliated schools, independent public schools, and for-profit institutions.

Enrollment numbers are down overall from pre-pandemic levels at New Jersey colleges, declining by 8.4 percent from fall 2018 to fall 2022. Numbers are still declining at two-year county colleges, four-year (or more) public schools, and ticking back up at for-profit and religious schools, data shows. Enrollment at independent public schools has fluctuated from 2020 to 2022.

And fewer and fewer men are enrolling in Garden State colleges and universities, data shows – and were so even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state does not include enrollment numbers for nonbinary or gender nonconforming students (who do not identify as a man or a woman, in other words).

Here's a look at how enrollment on New Jersey college campuses has changed from fall 2018 to fall 2022.

Fall 2018 enrollment

• Men: 188,253
• Women: 225,526
• Total: 413,779

Fall 2019 enrollment

• Men: 187,193
• Women: 225,813
• Total: 413,006

Fall 2020 enrollment

• Men: 175,073
• Women: 219,966
• Total: 395,039

Fall 2021 enrollment

• Men: 170,886
• Women: 210,028
• Total: 380,914

Fall 2022 enrollment

• Men: 171,715
• Women: 207,388
• Total: 379,103

Addressing the gender gap on campus

The “male enrollment crisis” on college campuses is seen nationwide, as the Chronicle of Higher Education reported in 2021. And this gender gap grew during the pandemic, especially at public two-year colleges. Overall enrollment dropped 14.8 percent at these colleges between fall 2019 and fall 2021, with 13.1 percent fewer female students and 18.6 percent fewer male students, the report said.

“Because many jobs with family-sustaining wages require a college degree, men without one face steeper obstacles and have fewer resources to confront the ones that appear,” the Chronicle report said.

Men with a bachelor’s degree earn approximately $900,000 more in median lifetime earnings than men who hold high school degrees, according to data from the Social Security Administration. And, those with graduate degrees earn $1.5 million more over their lifetimes than men who do not have a college degree.

Still, more college-educated men than women are employed in high-earning fields such as engineering or computer science. And there are many alternatives to a traditional college degree, as well as plenty of well-paying jobs in other fields.

The Chronicle of Higher Education report (from 2021) said relatively little attention is paid to the growing gender imbalance in America’s colleges and universities.

“It’s not always evident at highly selective colleges that dominate the news,” the Chronicle report said. And while there are many programs to support marginalized students on college campuses, “programs that focus on men tend to be small efforts with lean budgets that reach relatively few students.”

One New Jersey university launched a program last year which challenges ideas that men “don’t belong in college,” and is one of a growing number in the country focusing on men from underserved communities.

Montclair State launched the Male Enrollment and Graduation Alliance (MEGA) in 2022 to improve male student graduation outcomes with a focus on Black and Hispanic/Latino men. The organization held a symposium in March with both students and professionals gathering to discuss how to further Black and Hispanic male students’ success.

Still, cultural ideas of masculinity can discourage men from enrolling in college and sticking with it, as Montclair State assistant provost Daniel Jean said to education news publication The Hechinger Report.

“There are more accolades for getting out of jail than for graduating from college,” said Jean, the Assistant Provost for Special Programs. “There’s an anti-intellectual environment that’s gotten worse. The definition of manhood is often flawed.”

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