First, any changes take a *long* time to see. The college industry moves sloooooooowly. By definition, it's on a minimum four year cycle - even if there was an earth-shattering permanent change in enrollment right this second, it would take at least four years to fully see its affect.
Community colleges will likely do OK. They generally offer education in real fields at a more affordable price. People are willing to take a half-dozen actual "Basket Weaving" classes on consecutive Saturdays for 90 bucks, vs four years of (metaphorical) Basket Weaving classes for $90,000.
The canary in the mineshaft is the diploma mills. Think "ITT", or pretty much any school that you see advertising heavily on TV. As Gov't funding dries up (and it is already....) these places will go under, first.
The second-tier schools - think non-flagship State Universities, or "Safety Schools" - will be a mixed bag. IF they specialize - think, "The University of Delaware at Podunk has one of the world's best programs in Medieval Feminist Literature" - and make major cuts, they may do all right.
What surprised me the most in Higher Ed, though, was the fact that the faculty and staff have no concept of "Zero Dollars". The budget is just something accounting complains about once a year, then they go away. When gov't funding dries up and enrollment goes down substantially, they'll continue on with business as usual. If the second-tier schools don't make some pretty serious adjustments, they'll hit the financial wall like a bug hitting a windshield. The results will not be pretty.
Finally, the flagship State Universities (think UCLA, Nebraska, Georgia) and the top tier private schools (think Stanford, Duke, MIT) will likely be fine. They have an unimaginable amount of fat to burn through before they start feeling a financial pinch. Now, granted, when the 3rd Associate Dean of Student Diversity, and her attendant staff, all get laid off - there will be much weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. But the layoffs will happen and the school will go on unaffected.
That's my 2 bits. YMMV.
#29 I googled: 3rd Associate Dean of Student Diversity
There are many Diversity hires listed!
I am glad I saved lots money by not going to skoool.
Engineering, medicine, mechanics, electricians etc, I want those people to go to a real school. All other jobs can be learned on the job.