Lead: Preliminary national data show overall higher education enrollment up about 2% this fall, driven by a 2.4% undergraduate increase and a 4% jump at community colleges; undergraduate certificates posted a 6.6% rise. Short-term credentials and two‑year programs powered the gains while graduate enrollment remained essentially flat. The National Student Clearinghouse and sector reporting highlight shifting student choices: growth concentrated in health, trades and engineering-technology programs while computer and information science enrollments fell sharply — as much as 15% at the graduate level. Gains were strongest among lower‑income and underrepresented students, while international and graduate pipelines show uneven performance. Provosts, enrollment officers and workforce partners should recalibrate recruiting and program portfolios to meet rising demand for credentialed vocational pathways and to shore up graduate pipelines that feed research and advanced-skill programs.