Earlier this week, the Kansas Board of Regents released its fall 2023 preliminary enrollment figures which show some bright spots for Pittsburg State.
It also showed how much work remains to bring enrollment back to what it was a decade ago.
KRPS’s Fred Fletcher-Fierro has more.
Pittsburg State isn’t the only state university in Kansas to continue to struggle with retaining students over the past decade.
Four of the eight state universities have reported enrollment declines over that period, with three of the four experiencing over 20% declines during that period.
The 20-day fall headcount is a barometer of the strength of enrollment for the upcoming year.
In 2013, PSU reported exactly 7,400 students; that figure is now down to 5,732. That includes a 2.2% year-over-year decline from fall 2022 to this year.
There are also encouraging signs that Pittsburg State’s second-year President Dan Shipps initiatives are working. Specifically the number of incoming freshmen, 919.
It’s the first time in five years PSU has enrolled over 900 freshmen for the fall semester. Also, the number of international students is up nearly 30% from 2022 to this fall.
There are 344 international students from 42 countries enrolled this fall— up from 265 last year.
Taking into account all of Kansas’s community colleges, municipal and state universities, and technical colleges the system reported a 2.2% gain in enrollment this fall.
Copyright 2023 Four States Public Radio. To see more, visit Four States Public Radio.
