Kentucky colleges and universities led the nation in overall enrollment growth between fall 2022 and fall 2023, according to national data – with undergraduate enrollment leading the way.
Overall postsecondary enrollment in Kentucky was up 5.6% between the 2022 and 2023 fall semesters, according to data reported by the National Student Clearinghouse in October 2023. Total undergraduate enrollment increased 5.5% over the same period. Overall, graduate enrollment in Kentucky was up 4.9%.
Growth in overall enrollment at Kentucky colleges and universities was even higher at 5.8% between fall 2021 and fall 2023, based on the 2023 clearinghouse data.
Gov. Andy Beshear recognized the state’s enrollment gains in his weekly Team Kentucky update on Thursday. The governor said postsecondary enrollment is important to the state economy and individual families.
“I’m a second-generation college graduate in my family. I know the difference when my dad, his brothers, and sisters became first-generation college (grads) and what it means,” said Beshear. “It impacts your kids, your grandkids and your great grandkids. And it makes intragenerational change. This achievement, this increase, is going to have a major impact not just in decades but centuries to come.”
Although enrollment gains (or losses) at individual state-by-state colleges and universities were not reflected in the data, national trends gleaned from the clearinghouse report indicate private for-profit schools and community colleges – not public four-year universities – are making the most strides.
Nationally, private for-profit four-year schools had a 6.4% enrollment increase from fall 2022 to fall 2023 compared to just 0.8% growth at public four-year institutions, according to the clearinghouse. Public two-year colleges (community colleges and technical schools like Gateway CTC) had the second-largest enrollment growth for the period at 4.4%.
Increases in dual credit enrollment of high school students and workforce program enrollment are two reasons for the rise in community college enrollment over the past year, Forbes reported in August.
Graduate enrollment from fall 2022 to fall 2023 was also greater at private for-profit schools (such as Sullivan University, Strayer University, and Capella) than at public four-year colleges and universities, per the data.
Based on the clearinghouse report, national graduate student enrollment last fall increased by 2.7% over fall 2022 at proprietary four-year schools compared to 0.2% growth for the same period at public four-year postsecondary institutions.
Northern Kentucky University reported on its website that it had a slight drop in total fall enrollment from 15,827 to 14,985 between 2022 and 2023. Gateway Community and Technical – NKY’s only public community and technical college – reports on its website that it has a current enrollment of 6,194 at its three campuses (Florence, Edgewood, and Covington), with 73.3% of those students in school part-time and 26.7% attending full time.
Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education president Dr. Aaron Thompson said at Thursday’s weekly update that the entire state benefits from enrollment growth. Ninety percent of future Kentucky jobs will require a postsecondary degree or credential,” he added.
“We are the best return on investment that we have for the new economy,” said Thompson.