BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Colleges in Whatcom County and across the state are still recovering from a pandemic-induced drop in enrollment.

The Washington Student Achievement Council says the number of students attending college in Washington has declined every year since 2019, but enrollment numbers are starting to level off.

Their new report found that community and technical colleges have seen the biggest impact with a 25% drop in enrollment.

Whatcom Community College is feeling those effects with just under a 30% decrease from fall 2019 to fall 2022.

Meanwhile, Western Washington University has seen nearly a 10% drop.

That is on par with trends in other four-year colleges across the state, according to the report.