Higher education enrollment declines not as sharp in ND

BISMARCK, N.D. – Enrollment declines at North Dakota colleges and universities haven’t been as steep as elsewhere since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, enrollment across the country at colleges and universities is down 6.5% compared to two years ago, which is the largest two-year enrollment drop in the last 50 years.

Overall North Dakota colleges and universities experienced a 3.4% decrease in enrollment from 2019, and a 1.4% decrease from 2020.

A few schools have experienced enrollment increases, including the University of North Dakota.