Increases in first-year students from Wyoming, transfer students from out of state and graduate students helped offset an unexpected, last-minute drop in the University of Wyoming’s incoming freshman class this fall.
Additionally, UW’s freshman-to-sophomore retention rate increased for the third straight year, rising to 79 percent from 77 percent last year.
UW’s overall fall 2024 enrollment, as of the 15th day of classes, stands at 10,813 — down just 0.9 percent, or 100 students, from last year. That’s despite the 0.8 percent increase in graduate students, from 2,663 to 2,683; the 3.3 percent increase in out-of-state transfers, from 210 to 217; and the 0.7 percent increase in first-year students from Wyoming, from 900 to 906.
Despite increases of over 8 percent in the number of prospective first-year students who applied to and were admitted to UW for this fall compared to last year, the overall first-year head count dropped 2 percent, from 1,463 to 1,434.
“Up until early August, there was every indication that we would be up in both first-year students and overall enrollment,” says UW Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Kyle Moore. “We are still working to determine the reasons behind the last-minute drop, but we believe that delays in providing financial information to students and their families — a result of problems with the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) from the U.S. Department of Education — were a significant factor.”
In addition to the increases in in-state freshmen, graduate students and out-of-state transfers, a bright spot this fall is the fact that overall Wyoming resident enrollment is up 1.8 percent from last fall — rising from 7,692 to 7,830. Additionally, the number of students taking classes through online degree programs increased by 4.2 percent, from 1,819 to 1,896.
“The headwinds for higher education are strong nationally and in our region, but we remain optimistic for improvement in an increasingly competitive higher education landscape,” Moore says. “Our enhanced efforts in student recruitment and retention will continue, and we’re working to improve opportunities in both online and on-campus programming. UW remains a tremendous value, as more than half of our graduates have no student debt. And we’re excited to both increase the number of fully online degree programs and open some impressive new residence halls in the next academic year.”