Two of Iowa’s Three Public Universities Saw Declining Enrollment

(Radio Iowa) Two of Iowa’s three public universities saw declining enrollment this fall. The University of Iowa is the only university to see an increase in its fall enrollment. Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management Brent Gage says part of the increase is out-of-state students who were kept away during the pandemic.

“Now that things are kind of calmed down on that realm we’ve seen a lot more students wanting to come to the University of Iowa, especially to our destination programs,” he says. That includes the college of business which Gage says has seen record enrollment. Iowa State University saw its total enrollment decline to just under 30-thousand students. Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management, Laura Doering, notes that the decrease is smaller than recent years. And in a positive sign, the first-year class grew.

“With new first-year enrollment up 13 percent over the last two years — there’s an indication that really our recruitment, our financial aid strategies, they’re working,” she says. Enrollment is dropped three percent at the University of Northern Iowa Total fall enrollment on the Cedar Falls campus is 8,949 and it is the fifth straight drop in enrollment at UNI.