WINONA, Minn. – Fall enrollment at Winona State University dropped another 5% this fall despite stepped-effort recruiting efforts to reverse a downward spiral over the last decade. The fall’s total, 5,442, is off 35% from the historic high in 2013. The decline fits an overall pattern in U.S. higher education in an era of political attacks on the value of higher education, particularly from the right-wing populist office-holders and candidates who disparage a wide range major societal institutions. Also generally noted factors in declining college enrollment: A dwindling pool of high school graduates and the costs of college.

Earlier: WSU mid-year enrollment at new low

Earlier: WSU enrollment still on downward spiral

Full-time equivalent enrollment

2013: 8,459

2014: 8,267

2015: 8,148

2016: 7,349

2017: 7,164

2018: 6,966

2019: 6,835

2020: 6,322

2021: 5,761

2022: 5,442

Different counts

Colleges use headcounts and FTEs for different purposes. The full-time equivalent enrollments in the chart  count part-time students as a fraction. At Winona State a 15-credit load is considered full-time for undergrads and 10 credits for grad students. The FTE is invariably less than the headcount.