If that happens then you will have a shortage of professors in college

1. Two different shortages are being conflated — K–12 teachers vs. college professors

Reporting on 2024–25 documents a pronounced shortage of K–12 teachers — sources estimate tens of thousands of vacancies (about 55,000 cited) and large numbers of underqualified assignments — driven by fewer entrants into teacher-preparation programs and elevated exits ^{[1] [2]}. Separately, higher education faces its own labor and budget challenges — declining undergraduate enrollments and faculty unease — but the data and causes for professor shortages are not identical to K–12 teacher shortages and should not be treated as the same problem ^{[2] [3]}.

2. Evidence for a K–12 teacher pipeline collapse that could ripple to colleges

Multiple analyses document a collapsing pipeline into teaching: enrollment in teacher preparation has sharply dropped since the Great Recession, student interest is at multidecade lows, and many preparation programs have closed — all contributing to thousands of classroom vacancies and uncertified assignments ^{[2] [1]}. Those pipeline failures reduce the pool of future teacher-educators who might pursue faculty roles in colleges of education, which creates a plausible mechanism linking K–12 shortages to fewer college instructors over time ^{[2] [1]}.

3. Pressures on colleges that can reduce professor hiring capacity

Independent of K–12 dynamics, colleges are under fiscal and demographic pressure: undergraduate enrollments fell after 2010 and the pandemic, and a "steep drop in the traditional college-age population" is expected to hit parts of the country starting in 2025 — conditions that prompt hiring freezes, budget cuts, program eliminations and faculty departures, limiting colleges' ability or willingness to replace professors ^[3].

4. Localized layoffs and grant cuts show direct, immediate impacts on faculty jobs

News about specific grant terminations and program disruptions demonstrates how abrupt funding changes can force colleges to lay off employees or cut hours — concrete examples that show professor positions can disappear quickly when external funding ends ^[4]. Those shocks can exacerbate longer-term hiring constraints caused by enrollment declines and budget shortfalls ^{[3] [4]}.

5. Countervailing signals: growth projections and targeted policy responses

Not all sources predict uniform contraction: one occupational projection source noted job growth for college professors over a multi-year span (12% from 2018–2028), indicating some fields or regions may still expand faculty positions ^[5]. Meanwhile, commentators and institutions propose solutions — paid residencies, federal/state investments, alternate-route programs and salary increases — aimed at rebuilding the teacher pipeline and stabilizing educator supply, which could blunt downstream impacts on colleges ^{[6] [7] [8]}.

6. What's missing or uncertain in current reporting

Available sources do not provide a definitive, nationwide count of "professor shortages" tied directly to teacher pipeline declines; nor do they quantify how many K–12 shortages will convert into fewer college faculty seats or the lag time for that effect (not found in current reporting). The degree to which policy moves (e.g., federal grants, residency pay, raising teacher salaries) will reverse trends is not yet measurable in these sources ^{[4] [7] [6]}.

7. Bottom line and policy implications

The mechanics are clear: weakened teacher pipelines, mass K–12 vacancies, program closures and fiscal stress at colleges create credible pathways by which educational workforce shortages could spread into higher education faculty markets — but the magnitude and timing are uneven and regionally specific ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Policymakers seeking to avoid a college-professor shortfall should address both ends of the pipeline: protect and restore teacher-preparation capacity and stabilize higher-education funding and enrollment strategies ^{[7] [8]}.