October 18, 2023 |
PHOTO – Old main building of UW – Bigfoot99 file photo
Overall enrollment at the University of Wyoming fall continues to decline, slide, reaching its lowest point in decades as university leaders look for ways to reverse the trend.
Despite gains this fall with both graduate and transfer students, UW’s overall enrollment declined for the fifth consecutive year.
Every fall, UW performs a census on the 15th day of classes after tuition is due and class deadlines have passed. The university collects a range of data on the student body, from the programs students are enrolled to their residency on or off campus.
Transfers increased by more than 8%, and UW added roughly 3% more graduate students this year, according to a university statement.
The number of students from Wyoming attending the school also rose by 4% compared to fall 2022.
The 2,663 graduate students attending UW this fall also marks the highest number since 2016.
Despite encouraging signs that UW maybe reversing several years of enrollment declines, the boost in both transfer and graduate students did not overcome the loss of incoming freshmen. After a roughly 10% increase last fall, this year’s freshman class shrunk by 10%, including a 14.4% slump in out-of-state freshmen.
Overall, UW’s enrollment dropped by 1.7% to approximately 10,900 students—the lowest enrollment at the school in Laramie since 1987.
