HARTFORD, CT - Climbing enrollments at Connecticut’s independent colleges and universities helped push the state’s overall count of students to another record high for the 10th consecutive year, according to preliminary fall 2011 tallies announced today by the Office of Financial and Academic Affairs for Higher Education.
The new total of 202,902 students attending the state’s public and private colleges is the highest ever, but is only 1.1 percent greater than last fall – the smallest annual increase since 2007 and an indication that growth is slowing. Nearly all of the increase is due to more students enrolling part-time. The figures show that the vast majority of students in Connecticut are enrolled at one of the community colleges or at a regional independent institution.
“We’re seeing more students attending college part-time than at any time since 1996, most likely due to the economy,” stated Jane A. Ciarleglio, Executive Director of the Office of Financial and Academic Affairs for Higher Education (which has assumed many of the functions of the former Department of Higher Education). “Without these students, overall enrollment would have been lower, reflecting demographic trends showing fewer numbers of traditional college-age students.”
Statewide, full-time enrollment was virtually unchanged from last fall, with just 116 fewer students for a total of 129,169. In contrast, the number attending part-time grew 3.3 percent or 2,356 to 73,733 students. Undergraduate enrollment rose 1.4 percent – nearly all in part-time enrollment – to 166,711. This is the highest number of part-time undergraduates since 1994. Graduate enrollment held steady at 36,191.
Enrollment at Public Colleges and Universities
At state-supported schools, overall enrollment remained steady, dipping just 0.6 percent or 801 to 126,393 students with growth occurring only at the University of Connecticut. UConn’s enrollment climbed 1.6 percent or by 491 to 30,525 students, with increases occurring among all types of students except for part-time graduate students. Even with this modest growth, record enrollments were recorded at Storrs, Avery Point and the Health Center.
Numbers were down at the other public systems. The Connecticut State University System registered 36,047 students, a decline of 1.6 percent or 582 from a year ago. With 44 more students, Central showed the only gain and Southern showed the largest loss with 431 fewer students.
For the first time since 1998, counts fell at the community colleges by 1.0 percent or 579 to 57,674 students. The 7.4 percent decline in full-time enrollment was partially offset by a 2.9 percent increase in part-time enrollment. Despite the overall drop, enrollment at three of the 12 colleges hit new highs: Naugatuck Valley (up 2.3 percent or 166 to 7,361 students), Norwalk (up 1.0 percent or 67 to 6,807 students), and Tunxis (up 1.6 percent or 74 to 4,740 students). The largest gain was at Naugatuck Valley, and the largest loss was at Housatonic (down 3.6 percent or 222 to 5,975 students).
Enrollment at Independent Colleges and Universities
Within the independent sector, enrollment increased 4.2 percent or by 3,013 students to 75,464, fueled, once again, by gains at the four for-profit institutions. Counts at these schools – Lincoln College of New England, Paier College of Art, Post University and Sanford-Brown College – surged 36.7 percent or 1,984 students to 7,387, while totals at Connecticut’s 20 non-profit colleges grew a more modest 1.5 percent or 1,029 to 68,077 students.
At the four-year nationals (Connecticut, Trinity, Wesleyan and Yale), enrollment remained stable, up 0.9 percent or 174 to 19,373 students with Yale setting a new record high of 11,875 students.
The four-year regional colleges posted an overall gain of 5.1 percent or 2,687 for a total of 55,695 students. Enrollment was up at 11 of these colleges led by Post University (up 42.9 percent or 1,691 to a record 5,634 students) while eight others experienced declines.
There are only two 2-year colleges remaining in Connecticut: Sanford-Brown College, and Legion of Christ College of Humanities (located in Cheshire). Virtually all the growth is at Sanford- Brown since taking over Gibbs College.
