Rex Avenue on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, pictured on May 15, 2025, is also known as Wear Red Avenue. (Greg LaRose/Louisiana Illuminator)
LAFAYETTE – As its full-time undergraduate enrollment steadily declined over the past decade, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette nonetheless went on a hiring spree.
UL’s full-time undergraduate enrollment — where it makes the most money, as each student generates about $12,000 per year — declined by 1,700 students since 2015. That resulted in a $20 million loss in revenue. While its online and graduate student numbers ticked up during that period, it wasn’t enough to make the university whole…