Since 2008, Utah’s public higher education institutions have seen record enrollments and are up nearly 18% in that time.  The first “snapshot” of college enrollments (fall semester, 3^rd week) shows that the number of students enrolled at Utah’s colleges and universities held steady with a slight net decrease for the fall of 2012. The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) enrollment for the Fall 2012 semester decreased by 38 full-time equivalent students, for a net decrease of less than one-half  of 1% from 2011. Four of the eight institutions saw increases between 1.9% and 3%, while the other four saw decreases ranging from 1.2% to 3.1%.

“A few factors may be impacting enrollment. After years of record enrollment growth and the effects of the recession on state budgets, some institutions are at or near capacity—making it difficult for some students to obtain classes. Several institutions have raised academic standards for admission, and with the economy improving, more people are returning to full-time employment,” said Commissioner of Higher Education, Dave Buhler. “To reach Utah’s ‘Big goal’ of 66 percent of adults with a college certificate or degree, we will need more students to enroll and complete their education,” Buhler added.

Total budget-related FTE (Full-Time Equivalent) approximates the number of students enrolled full-time (15 semester hours for undergraduate students; 10 semester hours for graduate students) each semester. That number totaled 110,760 in the fall of 2012, compared to 110,798 in the fall of 2011. Headcount includes all students enrolled at an institution.

Additionally, particularly at institutions with a community college role, USHE serves several thousand students in non-traditional programs, which are not budget-related, do not receive any taxpayer support, and are not included in the third week totals. These include short-term training programs and non-credit technical training. USHE institutions also serve over 30,000 high school students in concurrent enrollment.   It is also important to note that some students enroll in programs that begin after the third-week enrollment census is taken.  To provide a more complete picture of fall enrollments, final numbers will be released when available. Some institutions have a large number of part-time students, which accounts for the difference between their FTE and headcount.