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Department of Higher Education
State of Connecticut

Reports

The Connecticut Department of Higher Education announced preliminary 1996 fall college enrollments at the October 15, 1996 meeting of the Board of Governors. Highlights are shown below. If you would like a complete copy of this report including charts, please send an E-Mail request.

Connecticut College Enrollments

Down Again Connecticut college enrollments are down again this fall, due to losses at public colleges and universities where changing age trends, rising tuitions and limited financial aid are making it harder to recruit students.

Across the public and independent system, enrollments are down 1.3 percent this fall compared to last year, for a total of 155,486 students. Counts at state-supported colleges are down 3.1 percent to 96,284, while they are up 1.9 percent to 58,376 at the independents.

"The upturn at the independents may be a bright sign for college enrollments in Connecticut," stated Higher Education Commissioner Andrew G. De Rocco. "The long seven-year drop in overall enrollments could soon be over."

"Population trends show that the number of the state’s 18 to 25 year-olds is finally growing while the number of persons aged 25 to 34 is dropping. This shift is having its greatest impact on our public institutions which have traditionally relied on adults to compensate for shortfalls in younger students. Combined with improved job opportunities, rising tuitions and limited student aid, public colleges and universities may likely be finding it increasingly difficult to recruit new students."

Across the system this fall, full-time enrollments rose a marginal 0.7 percent to 83,724 while part-time counts dropped 3.6 percent to 71,762. The number of undergraduates slipped 1.4 percent to 122,095; graduate and first-professional enrollments dipped 0.7 percent to 33,391.

Within the public system, enrollments at the University of Connecticut fell 3.7 percent to 22,122. The largest declines occurred at the Waterbury Campus (down 16.9%) and at the Avery Point Campus (down 9.0%).

All four campuses of Connecticut State University experienced fewer enrollments with the largest drop occurring at Western (down 3.7%). Combined, the four CSU institutions enrolled 33,016 students, down 1.6 percent.

Among the 12 community-technical colleges, only one - Quinebaug Valley in Danielson - showed a modest increase, up 4.8 percent to 1,174. The community-technical colleges collectively enrolled 41,146 students, down 3.9 percent.

Within the independent sector, counts climbed 1.2 percent to 18,405 at the four-year nationals. All four of these schools - Connecticut College, Trinity College, Wesleyan University and Yale University - posted gains as compared to last fall.

The pattern at the four-year regionals was mixed but overall, enrollments at these institutions rose 2.4 percent to 38,108. The largest increase occurred at Albertus Magnus College (up 28.1% to 1,198).

Student counts dropped 2.6 percent to 1,863 at the two-year independents.

All Connecticut colleges and universities reported their preliminary enrollments to the Department of Higher Education earlier this month. The Department expects to make its final tallies for 1996 available in January.

Copies of the Preliminary Fall 1996 Connecticut College and University Enrollments are available. Request by E-Mail.

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