WINONA, Minn. – Undergraduate enrollment plummeted 9.7% this fall at Winona State University – a drop of almost 2,700 students from a peak in 2013 and 454 fewer than last fall. Scott Olson, president, who has struggled with enrollment losses for a decade, said the drop was not unexpected. He blamed the steady enrollment declines on external dynamics:
> Demographics. Slowing population growth in the 24 to 35 age cohort.
> High school graduates. Fewer of them.
> Low unemployment. For a decade many young people have opted for jobs over education.
> Higher incomes. Non-degree jobs have had more attractions.
“Our enrollment trends are consistent with what we’re seeing both in Minnesota as well as nationwide,”. Olson said. “There are simply fewer students graduating from high school in the State of Minnesota. This is coupled with the fact that nationwide,there are fewer high school graduates going to colleges and universities.” There has been growth in Winona State’s graduate enrollments but hardly enough to offset undergrad losses. Fall graduate enrollment grew to 800, capping years of steady growth.
WSU enrollment
Frosh to senior
2013: 8,459
2014: 8,267
2015: 8,148
2016: 7,890
3017: 7,530
2018: 7,357
2019: 7,216
2020: 7,044
2021: 6,590
Calculating enrollments
The standard unit to measure enrollment is not a body count but FTE, short for “full-time equivalent.” As example, a college may have 12,000 students taking classes, but if they’re all taking half loads, the FTE would be 6,000. Enrollment typically is measured on an agreed-upon date, like the 10th day of classes, which makes for an apples-to-apples comparison among colleges. In its latest enrollment report, Winona State uses both FTE and headcount, which distorts long-term comparisons and suggests fewer losses. Also adding to a statistical muddiness is a switch of official data several years ago from the 10th day of classes to the 30th.