Universities of Wisconsin sees highest enrollment since 2020, preliminary data shows
(WLUK) — Overall enrollment at the Universities of Wisconsin is the highest it has been since 2020, according to data released Monday.
Preliminary estimates based on first-day counts reveal enrollment this fall grew by 1,058 students. That brings the system’s overall enrollment to an estimated 163,589 students.
UW-Green Bay is one of eight universities who experienced higher enrollments, offset in part by declines at other universities, including UW-Oshkosh.
UW-Green Bay Provost Kate Burns said the campus is seeing enrollment increases in a number of areas. “We’re seeing a 14% increase in our graduate enrollment, and a 4% enrollment growth for our new freshman, and a 1% for undergraduate overall,” she explained.
Burns also said the increase is a sign of growing enrollment in the future. “For us, we see our new freshman levels being pretty similar to what they were pre-COVID, so for us we see this as really kind of, getting back on track.”
UW-Oshkosh Provost Edwin Martini told FOX 11 the decline was expected, and the university is looking ahead. “We knew we were going to have a smaller incoming class this year, the profile of the class is a little higher this year,” he said. “We’ve got great news in our honors college, which is up 40% this year. We’re really looking about those bright spots and really, where the opportunities for growth are going forward.”
Martini said the academic restructuring of the campus is a perfect opportunity for to increase enrollment. “So we’re going from four colleges to three, and we’re going from about 47 different departments to six inter-disciplinary schools, that are built around career clusters,” he explained to us. “We think it’s going to be a great selling point for our students, and it’s really going to connect them with the experiential, experience-driven learning that we do here at UWO.”
Official enrollment counts will be released later this fall, based on the 10th day of enrollment. Preliminary headcount enrollment estimates are as follows:
- UW-Eau Claire (increased): 9,969
- UW-Green Bay (increased): 10,749
- UW-La Crosse (increased): 10,438
- UW-Madison (increased): 51,729
- UW-Milwaukee: 22,517
- UW-Oshkosh: 13,127
- UW-Parkside: 3,875
- UW-Platteville: 6,419
- UW-River Falls (increased): 5,093
- UW-Stevens Point (increased): 8,263
- UW-Stout: 6,870
- UW-Superior (increased): 2,756
- UW-Whitewater (increased): 11,784
A news release from the Universities of Wisconsin applauds the enrollment increase, which comes despite the closures of several branch campuses and “severe challenges caused by the disruptive roll out of a new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) financial aid form and a lack of funding for the Wisconsin Tuition Promise.”
Last month, the Universities of Wisconsin regents voted to ask Gov. Tony Evers for an additional $855 million in the next state budget. President Jay Rothman promised he wouldn’t seek to raise tuition during the life of the two-year spending plan if the system gets the money it requested.
An August report showed a nearly 10% decrease inhigh school seniors in Wisconsin completing an application for financial aid for higher education assistance.
According to Rothman:
“Today’s enrollment growth marks our second year of increases in the face of significant headwinds. The consequences of public funding of our universities in the bottom 10 of the nation is making access and affordability much more difficult than it should be. Our hope is the legislature will provide relief for parents and students seeking the educational opportunities at our UWs.”
Source: Universities of Wisconsin sees highest enrollment since 2020, preliminary data shows
