Connecticut’s Colleges Are Showing Signs Of Bouncing Back From Sharp Enrollment Declines Before And During Pandemic

by Jamil Ragland

HARTFORD, CT – The pandemic exacerbated a decreasing trend in college enrollment across the state and country, but enrollment has continued to decline in the state’s college system even after stay-at-home orders ended and students returned to campus.
Those findings are according to data published by the Office of Legislative Research, a nonpartisan office that provides information to the Connecticut General Assembly. The report tracks enrollment data for the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system, which includes the four state universities and the community colleges, as well as for the University of Connecticut and its campuses around the state, from 2018 through 2023.
“Total enrollment for the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU), including community colleges, was 82,275 in 2018 and fell to 63,405 in 2023 (a 22.4% decrease) … Western Connecticut State University (“Western”) in Danbury had the greatest decrease (26.7%), and Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven had the least (12.2%),” the report states. 

The state’s community colleges fared even worse during that time period. Connecticut’s community college enrollment fell by 27% during the five-year period, from 47,912 in 2018 to 34,991 in 2023.
The trend reflected conditions across the nation. Total college enrollment fell by 4.6%, from just over 19 million students in 2018 to 18.3 million in 2023. Similar to Connecticut, community college enrollment saw a much larger decline, with 14.3% fewer students enrolled in community colleges in 2023 than in 2018. The trends predate the pandemic, with data from the National Center for Education Statistics showing that enrollment across the nation is down by 15% since 2010. However, 42% of the decrease occurred during the pandemic.
While enrollment may have fallen over the last five years, there are strong indicators that it is stabilizing and trending upward for the CSCU system, said Samantha Norton, spokesperson for the state’s college system. She said that the pandemic presented enrollment challenges for colleges across the country, but that the CSCU system is responding with new offerings that have helped attract new potential students.

“This year, each of our universities and CT State have seen an increase in the number of applications for the fall 2024 semester over the previous year. Our universities have been focused on building curriculums for the 21st century,” she said. “By offering new innovative courses and programs, for example like Eastern Connecticut State University’s new Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing, or Southern Connecticut State University’s new Bachelor’s degree program in health and wellness coaching, the first of its kind in the Northeast, we can continue to meet the needs of our students and the state, and attract and retain new students.”
According to data provided by CSCU, all four state universities – Eastern, Western, Southern, and Central – have seen increases in applications for fall 2024 in comparison to fall 2023. Eastern has shown the greatest increase, with applications growing to 6,378 for first-year students, a nearly 21% increase over last year’s 5,275 applicants. Southern also showed a sizeable increase in first-year applicants, with 16% more applying for the fall 2024 semester than for fall 2023.
Not all public colleges in Connecticut have faced declining enrollment numbers though. The University of Connecticut has shown a slight increase in total enrollment over the last five years. Enrollment grew at the Storrs campus by 1.6%, going from 18,768 students in 2018 to 19,067 in 2023. UConn’s other campuses across the state experienced greater growth, with student enrollment increasing by 2.2%.

Stephanie Reitz, spokesperson for the University of Connecticut, says that the university has been able to maintain its enrollment numbers by attracting interest from across both the state and nation.
“[Our success] is attributable to the variety of strong academic programs that the University offers, the on-campus student experience, and the state’s investments over the past several decades in modern classroom buildings, research facilities, and other spaces. In addition to the Storrs campus, UConn’s regional campuses in Hartford, Stamford, Waterbury, and Avery Point also provide unique opportunities to help students prepare for career success,” she said in an email interview.

UConn – whose men’s basketball team won the past two NCAA championships – also has enjoyed increasing numbers of applicants over the last two years. According to information published by the university, UConn has experienced an 18% increase in applications to its Storrs campus over the last two years, and a 21.5% increase in applications to its other campuses in Hartford, Stamford, Avery Point, and Waterbury. UConn also set a record for applications for its incoming fall class, with 56,700 students applying for spots in the class of 2028.