Preliminary data projects 7 percent enrollment decrease for CMU


CMU's total preliminary student headcount for Fall 2018 was 21,605.


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A report of Central Michigan University's preliminary Fall 2018 enrollment numbers shows a 7.4 percent decrease from Fall 2017.

CMU's total preliminary student headcount was 21,605 for Fall 2018, according to a Michigan Association of State Universities 2018 enrollment report. This is a 23 percent decrease from Fall 2010, the university's peak year, when 28,086 total students were enrolled. Fall 2017 enrollment at CMU was 23,335.

MLive.com reported the release of the MASU report, which included data for all 15 universities. CMU was the only university that had only preliminary numbers listed for Fall 2018. The report states that final numbers will be available after the completion of the semester.

CMU has not yet released its final Fall 2018 enrollment numbers. The university will be releasing that data in the next few days, said Heather Smith, director of University Communications.

In June 2017, the Board of Trustees approved a change in CMU’s reporting policy to extend the release of enrollment reports after the Fall semester, as opposed to the beginning. Last year was the first year CMU began releasing enrollment numbers later than other universities. 

President Robert Davies addressed enrollment numbers at the Jan. 15 Academic Senate meeting. 

"I do not think it should be a surprise to anybody that we have seen a decline," Davies said. "We have enrollment pressures."

He also referenced the MASU report at the meeting. He said the preliminary report "exacerbated CMU enrollment pressures." 

Last year, the university's announced enrollment, 23,335, ended up being slightly higher than MASU's preliminary Fall 2017 headcount of 23,066. 

Only four of Michigan's 15 public universities experienced an enrollment increase in Fall 2018 compared to Fall 2017, MLive reported. Those four universities are Michigan State, University of Michigan, U-M Dearborn and Lake Superior State University.

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