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Arkansas’ Higher Education Enrollment Down 1 Percent

2 min read

The number of students enrolled in higher education is down 1 percent from a year ago, according to enrollment numbers on the 11th day of classes.

In all, there were 168,816 students enrolled at both public and private institutions, according to the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. That’s compared to 170,505 students last fall.

Enrollment at four-year universities was up 0.3 percent, down 4.7 percent at two-year colleges. Enrollment at public institutions was down 1.5 percent.

Shane Broadway, ADHE director, said final enrollment numbers won’t be available until the semester’s end. But he doesn’t expect significant changes.

“Numbers are trending to what they were before the recession when many Arkansans lost their jobs, and began looking for more opportunities by way of a higher education,” Broadway said in a news release.

Arkansas Tech Leads Four-Year Universities

The Russellville-based university, Arkansas Tech, again, had the highest increase in enrollment, growing 5.6 percent. The enrollment of 12,003 students pushed third-largest four-year university in Arkansas.

Southern Arkansas University followed behind with a 3.9 percent increase to 3,538 students. The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville was next, growing 3.5 percent to surpass 26,000 students for the first time.

Henderson State University saw a 1.5 percent increase to 3,634 students. The University of Central Arkansas, 1.4 percent, and the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences, 0.8 percent. also saw jumps in enrollment.

University of Arkansas System institutions saw the three largest drop-offs in four-year universities.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock saw the sharpest decline in enrollment, dropping, 5.6 percent, to 11,681 students. UALR dropped from the third-largest university to the fifth-largest.

It was followed by the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, which dropped 4.6 percent to 6,823 students.

The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff followed at 3.3 percent, dropping to 2,529 students.

Arkansas State University dropped 3.1 percent to 13,135 students, and remained the second-largest four-year university.

The University of Arkansas at Monticello dropped 1.0 percent to 3,854 students.

Overall, four-year universities saw a 0.3 percent increase in enrollment, climbing to 98,022 students from 97,688 last fall. At the same time, undergradate enrollment was down 0.7 percent to 75,869 students from 76,413 a year ago. Graduate enrollment was up 0.4 percent to 16,088 students from 16,018 last fall.

High school enrollment at four-year universities jumped 15.4 percent to 6,065 students. Arkansas Tech University had the highest number of high school students with 2,187. UALR was the only other institution with more than 1,000 high school students with 1,334.

A-State’s Newport Campus Leads Two-Year Institutions

Arkansas State University at Newport saw a 22.3 percent increase in enrollment, jumping to 2,494 students this fall.

It was followed by Mid-South Community College in West Memphis, which realized a 6.9 percent increase. South Arkansas Community College of El Dorado jumped 5.1 percent.

Pulaski Technical College remained the largest two-year institution in the state, despite having to endure a 12.2 percent drop in enrollment. The college’s enrollment fell below 10,000 students to 9,244.

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