Nearly all of Michigan’s public universities have seen student enrollment drop from 2010 numbers while three have a higher number. Enrollment at the state’s public 15 universities dropped by 16% from 2010, with roughly half of the institutions losing at least one-third of their undergraduate population, according to a new report.
Three Michigan universities gained students since 2010, the national peak for enrollment. That’s one finding of the American Enterprise Institute, which drew on data from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard. Enrollment was up by 25% at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor (25%), by 13% at Michigan State University and by 4% at Michigan Technological University.
But enrollment slid at the other 12 public institutions, according to data the institute sent to Michigan Capitol Confidential in an email. Declines usually exceeded 25%. Central Michigan University has the greatest loss, shedding 53% of its students.
Enrollment in undergraduate programs across the country has declined by nearly 20% since 2010, according to “Learning with their feet,” a report written by American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Preston Cooper. The national trend, repeated in Michigan, favors institutions whose students are more likely to graduate and pay their loans…