FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 25, 2015
Board of Regents Announce 2015 Fall Semester Enrollment
(Topeka, Kansas) - Preliminary fall enrollment figures released today by the Kansas Board of Regents show a slight decline in systemwide enrollment, but growth at 15 of the state’s 32 public higher education institutions.
Across the six state universities, there was an increase in enrollment at Fort Hays State University (385 students; 2.78%) and the University of Kansas (108 students; 0.39%), but overall there was a decrease of 890 students (-0.94%) compared to the preliminary census day count in 2014. Kansas State University realized a decrease in the number of enrollments (620 students; -2.5%), as did Wichita State University (508 students; -3.39%), and Pittsburg State University (235 students; -3.14%). There was nearly flat enrollment at both Emporia State University (decreasing by 20 students; -0.33%) and Washburn University, the state’s municipal university (increasing by 6 students; 0.08%).
The attached spreadsheet provides preliminary fall enrollment figures for each institution.
In the two-year sector, enrollment was down across the state’s 19 community colleges with a reported decrease of 2,165 students (-2.90%). Enrollment increased across the state’s technical colleges, where an additional 433 students (6.33%) are enrolled this fall compared to the preliminary census day count in 2014.
In total, the 2015 fall semester enrollment total is 182,101 students as of census day at each institution, a preliminary headcount of students enrolled on the 20th day of class. While the number of students enrolled on a given day during the fall semester is no longer the indicator for total enrollment that it once was, this number has been recorded for over fifty years and so continues to be reported.
However, academic year enrollment more accurately captures total systemwide participation. In 2014-2015, the total systemwide enrollment is estimated to have been approximately 250,000. Based on current enrollment numbers, the Kansas Board of Regents projects enrollment for the 2015-2016 year will remain relatively flat.
For more information, contact Breeze Richardson at (785) 291-3969 or
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About the Kansas Board of Regents:
The nine-member Kansas Board of Regents is the governing board of the state's six universities and the statewide coordinating board for the state's 32 public higher education institutions (six state universities, one municipal university, nineteen community colleges, and six technical colleges). In addition, the Board administers the state's student financial aid, adult education, high school equivalency, and career and technical education programs. Private proprietary schools and out-of-state institutions are authorized by the Kansas Board of Regents to operate in Kansas, and the Board continues to administer Kan-Ed, a program for facilitating and promoting distance learning and telemedicine in schools, libraries and hospitals. Visit the Kansas Board of Regents online at www.kansasregents.org.
Board of Regents Announce 2015 Fall Semester Enrollment (PDF download)