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Total enrollment at �����Թ�’s public universities reached historic highs in fall 2023, but even with the growth, just 30 percent of �����Թ� high school graduates completed a college degree or certificate program within six years, according to two new reports released by the �����Թ� Board of Regents.

The Academic Year 2024 Fall Enrollment Report reflects enrollment at �����Թ�’s public universities, while the 2023 Postsecondary Attainment Report measures �����Թ� high school graduates’ postsecondary enrollment and completion, wherever they choose to attend.

Enrollment at �����Թ�’s public universities is an integral component of advancing the state’s goal to increase educational attainment — the percentage of adults who earn a college degree. Flatlined attainment is a growing concern when �����Թ� needs 26,300 more bachelor’s degrees annually to support the state’s economy.

A bright spot in the Fall Enrollment Report shows the universities welcoming the highest number of Pell-eligible students (57,793), 54.8 percent of whom are �����Թ� residents. While the number of low-income �����Թ� students attending college is on the rise, demonstrating the success of the �����Թ� Promise Program, it still has not matched pre-pandemic highs. The �����Թ� Promise Program provides a guaranteed scholarship for qualifying low-income �����Թ� students that ensures all tuition and fees are covered at �����Թ�'s public universities.

“It’s clear that �����Թ� is seeing a modest improvement in college enrollment and completion, but we are still not meeting the mark when it comes to postsecondary attainment for our high school graduates,” said ABOR Chair Fred DuVal. “This chronic, low rate of educational attainment limits our students’ upward mobility and is a recipe for our state’s future economic stagnation.”

Key fall enrollment takeaways:

• Total enrollment at �����Թ�’s public universities is up, largely due to online enrollment increases.
• �����Թ� State University saw historic enrollment in fall 2023 with 145,655 students — up 2 percent from the year before. 
• �����Թ� residents now comprise 70.3 percent of Northern �����Թ� University’s undergraduate students, an increase of 3.2 percent from the previous year. 
• Fall 2023 enrollment at the University of �����Թ� is the largest and most diverse in its history with 77,353 students, a 56.6 percent increase from the prior year. 

Learn more about fall enrollment at �����Թ�’s public universities here. 

Key postsecondary takeaways for �����Թ�’s high school graduates:

• Forty-eight percent of �����Թ�’s 2022 high school graduates pursued education beyond high school, while 30.3 percent of �����Թ�’s 2017 high school graduates were able to successfully complete a certificate, credential or college degree.
• �����Թ�’s high school graduates’ postsecondary completion trends are moderately increasing.
• �����Թ� graduates from historically underrepresented populations enroll in higher education at lower rates than peers.
• �����Թ�’s public universities enrolled more than two-thirds of �����Թ� high school graduates that chose a four-year degree program.

 Find out more about college-going and completion rates for �����Թ�’s high school graduates here.