How CEI is using AI and tech to fight the anticipated ‘Recession Baby’ enrollment cliff

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho — It’s been 18 years since the 2008 recession, and 2026 will be the first year "recession babies" reach college age. However, there will be fewer students nationwide due to a significant drop in birth rates.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, colleges and universities collectively experienced a 15% decline in enrollment between 2010 and 2021 due to various contributing factors. In 2025, Inside Higher Ed reported that 16 nonprofit institutions announced closures, with similar numbers reported in 2024.

“We know that demographic cliff, that enrollment cliff, is coming to us,” said Lori Barber, president of the College of Eastern Idaho. “We know that there are fewer kindergartners enrolling in kindergartens here in eastern Idaho than there are graduates graduating from high schools. And so CEI is thinking, what is it we need to do to make sure that our enrollment continues to grow?”

Barber notes that while the college continues to enjoy enrollment gains—including a 10% increase in fall 2025 and a 7% rise for the current spring 2026 semester—the institution is proactively evolving to ensure continued growth.

“In Idaho, the go-on rate from high school to college in 2024 was 43.6%. So that's a lot of students that are graduating from high school and not going on to college,” Barber said.

The college is leaning into technology, with a new tech building opening later this year. Areas of focus target AI. This semester, the institution is redesigning its English 101 course—a class taken by nearly every student on campus—to be “AI-heavy,” focusing on ethics and prompt engineering to prepare students for a changing workforce.

Furthermore, the college is investigating ways to address a growing national gender gap, as current enrollment reflects a roughly 60% female and 40% male split. By evaluating campus culture and ensuring male students feel welcomed, the administration hopes to better serve the community.

While on a national level institutions continue to struggle to enroll students, local schools in Idaho continue to be immune to the problem, and hope to stay that way.