Despite gains at some individual institutions, the overall number of students enrolledĀ in Arkansas higher education on the 11th day of classes declined 0.7 percent, compared to last fall.
There was a total of 167,406 students at all public and private institutions.
“Some decline in community college enrollments naturally occurs as economic trends and job prospects improve,” saidĀ Brett Powell, director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, said of the enrollment decline.
“On the other hand, we know that many Arkansans are unprepared for the jobs of tomorrow so we hope to reverse this trend in coming years by reaching out to adults without any postsecondary credentials and students coming out of high school who typically enroll in higher education at lower rates.”
The state’s four-year institutions hadĀ an average enrollment increase of 1.6 percent, while two-year institutions saw a 5.4 percent decrease. Total public institution enrollment decreased by 0.9 percent.
Four-Year Institutions Enrollment Overview
- Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia had the highest increase in enrollment, growing by 16.7 percent to 4,138 students enrolled.
- University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff saw an increase of 5.8 percent with 2,658 students enrolled.
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences raised its enrollment by 4.5 percent with 3,021 students enrolled.
- University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Arkansas State University inĀ Jonesboro, University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, University of Central Arkansas and Arkansas Tech University also saw increases in enrollment.
- Others had decreases ranging from 1.6 percent to 5.1 percent.
Two-Year Institutions Enrollment Overview
- Among theĀ highest increases include Southern Arkansas University Tech with an increase of 6.4 percent (1,658 students) andĀ University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville had a jump of 5.4 percent (1,388 students).
- Arkansas State University Newport grewĀ by 5 percent to 2,599.
- University of Arkansas Community College at Hope, University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton, Southeast Arkansas College, Arkansas State University Mid-South, National Park College and Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas also had increases in enrollment.
Among independent institutions, total enrollment increased by 0.7 percent, ranging from an increase of 13.2 percent at Arkansas Baptist College to a decline of 41.7 percent at Shorter College. Baptist School of Nursing decreased enrollment by 10 percent and Jefferson School of Nursing decreased by 15.9 percent.
The most significant enrollment change for the fall was among high school students enrolled in college or university courses. More thanĀ 17,000 high school students are taking classes this fall, an 8.1 percent increase.