Descriptive Analysis of University Enrollment Trends in Colombia between 2014 and 2022

Abstract

During the study period between 2014 and 2022, a 9.5% increase in the number of university students enrolled in Colombia was observed, with a total of 419,940 new enrollees. The objective of this research was to analyze trends and cycles in university enrollments, focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the growth of the virtual modality. The methodology included analyzing data from the National Higher Education Information System (SNIES) and performing calculations to evaluate variations in enrollments over the years. The results allowed visualizing the enrollment cycles between private and official sector universities, highlighting that the pandemic generated a significant decrease in enrollments in 2020, mainly affecting private universities. An increase in the gap between enrollment in the official and private sector was observed, with the latter losing ground. The virtual modality experienced exponential growth in the last 8 years and as a result of the pandemic became an important factor in the university enrollment market, especially in graduate programs in the private sector and undergraduate programs in the formal sector. In summary, the study reveals the transformation of the university enrollment landscape in Colombia, due to changes in student preferences between sector and mode of study. These findings may be valuable for decision making in educational institutions and provide a deeper understanding of trends in higher education in the Colombian context.