While enrollment at Wisconsin’s public and private colleges declined last fall, the decrease has been more measured than has been recorded in all neighboring states, according to a report from Wisconsin Public Radio.
Data from Wisconsin colleges published by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center show statewide enrollment dropped by around 0.5%, or 1,118 students, during the fall semester. The year-over-year decline was far less notable than it was during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, when enrollment fell by around 10,000 students or 3.3% between fall 2019 and fall 2020.
The center’s report shows undergraduate numbers grew by almost 1% across the state’s higher education sectors, while enrollment among graduate students fell by around 7.5%.
College enrollment has been declining in Wisconsin and across the U.S. over the past decade. Analysts have pointed to lower birthrates as a cause, and in Wisconsin, a smaller percentage of high school graduates have been enrolling at public universities since 2017.
