UW enrollment continues its decline

The student body at the University of Wyoming continues to shrink. Early estimates suggest that UW’s enrollment will fall for the fourth year in a row.

After three years of declining enrollment, the University of Wyoming will likely see a further decline this fall.

Since 2018, University of Wyoming enrollment has dropped 11 percent — a steep decline that has not improved even as the pandemic has let up.

UW officials won’t have final enrollment numbers until the fall semester, but early estimates are not looking good. That’s according to a public discussion last week between university trustees and administrators.

The trustees say they want to invest big in recruiting new students and keeping current students from dropping out. Trustee Dave True said UW needs to focus on the immediate future.

“It sounds like the dynamite fuse has been lit and we’re getting really close to the end of that fuse,” he said.

The drop is mainly driven by out-of-state residents, who are enrolling less and less at the University of Wyoming. Out-of-state residents typically pay more for tuition and don’t have access to the Hathaway Scholarship that helps so many young Wyomingites attend UW.

A student works in UW’s Coe Library during the Fall 2020 semester. Enrollment has consistently fallen in the years since. // Photo: Jeff Victor

University Provost Kevin Carman said student enrollment is falling for a variety of reasons. For many, education was disrupted by the pandemic and never got back on track. For others, a college degree seems less valuable than it did just a few years ago.

“There is a national phenomenon where fewer students are going to college than they used to,” Carman said.

He added that recent publicity surrounding the university might also be contributing to the decline in enrollment.

Much of that publicity has surrounded a Christian preacher named Todd Schmidt — known to students as “Bible Guy” or Creationist Guy.” Until recently, Schmidt tabled weekly in the student union, sharing messages about biblical literalism and COVID misinformation. But in December, he used his banner to publicly target an individual transgender student by name. He was subsequently banned from tabling in the union for one year and is suing the university to be let back in.

Meanwhile, the transgender student targeted by Schmidt’s sign is herself the target of another lawsuit, brought by members of her sorority. They are asking the courts to ban transgender individuals from their organization. The case has gained national attention.

Carman and other administrators told the trustees that UW spends much less than competing universities when it comes to targeting prospective students and encouraging them to apply. Administrators will likely ask for more funding to do more of this when the trustees meet again next month.

Last year, while overall enrollment declined, the number of first-time, first-year students actually went up. But university administrators say that’s unlikely this fall.

In September, the trustees will likely increase tuition a standard 4 percent, but could raise online tuition 20 percent.