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SALT LAKE CITY — Headcount at Utah's public, degree-granting colleges and universities climbed to 198,432 this fall, compared to 194,921 a year ago, according to new numbers released Tuesday by the Utah System of Higher Education.
Southern Utah University led the way with a 4.9% increase over the previous year, once again leading state-support institutions in year-to-year growth in enrollment.
"Students are choosing SUU for our commitment to access, affordability, academic programs and most of all the student-centric experience where we offer small class sizes and educators who are invested in mentoring our students for their future careers," said SUU President Mindy Benson in a statement.
SUU's fall headcount was a record 15,033 students, according to the Utah System of Higher Education.
Meanwhile, fall headcount at Snow College declined 8.2%, which college officials said was anticipated after "discontinuing relationships with two third-party contractors enrolling online students, many from outside of Utah," according to a statement from the college.
Otherwise, the college reported an increase in local students, minority students and nontraditional students. Its fall headcount was 5,506, according to state higher education data.
Geoffrey Landward, interim Utah Commissioner of Higher Education, said system officials were pleased with the overall growth in enrollment at the state's public degree-granting colleges.
"Higher education is a transformative tool for many individuals that equips them with the knowledge and expertise to drive positive change and economic prosperity in our state," said Landward.
He noted that fall enrollment figures for the state's eight technical colleges should be available later this month, which will provide the overall headcount of the system's 16 public colleges and universities.
The pandemic years were hard on our student body and enrollment, and now the energy and buzz of students can be felt across all our campuses.
–SLCC President Deneece G. Huftalin
Utah Valley University's headcount of 44,653 led the state, with the enrollment climbing 3.6% overall, according to Utah System of Higher Education data.
The University of Utah's total enrollment was 35,310, an increase of 1.7% over fall 2022, according to the state higher education report.
Weber State University's headcount rose 2.1% to 30,536 this fall, but its graduate-level enrollment declined nearly 1%.
Utah State University had an overall enrollment increase of 0.4% that boosted its fall headcount to 28,063. However, USU experienced a 3% decline in graduate-level enrollment but has had about a 10% increase in concurrent enrollment of high school students.
At Salt Lake Community College, fall enrollment climbed to 26,764, which reflects a 1.6% increase from a year ago.
SLCC President Deneece G. Huftalin noted the college's Latinx/Hispanic student enrollment reached an all-time high at 24.2%.
"The pandemic years were hard on our student body and enrollment, and now the energy and buzz of students can be felt across all our campuses," Huftalin said in a statement.
Meanwhile, fall enrollment at Utah Tech University held steady at 12,567, with an increase of 0.1%.
The fall enrollment of degree-granting institutions is measured the third week of the fall semester.
