The enrollment for University of Montana has seen a major decline but school officials remain positive, according to the Missoulian.
The university has had the largest enrollment decline in the country from 2011 to 2017, based on a new report from the Chronicle of Higher Education. UM has already lost nearly half of its undergraduates over the past eight years, putting the decline in Chronicle’s “severe” category.
The report states, “From fall 2011 to fall 2017, the university shed nearly a third of its undergraduates, according to disclosures made to the Education Department. That 30-plus percent decline dwarfed those seen at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks and the University of Idaho, which had the second- and third- largest enrollment dips, respectively, but posted much smaller losses during the same period.”
Matters, however, are looking up at the school as graduate student enrollment and the liberal arts programs head in a positive direction. Also, the school saw what is said to be a positive change in leadership when Seth Bodnar replaced Clay Christian as UM’s president nearly two years ago.
The university says Bodnar already has taken steps to boost enrollment such as expanding freshman orientation and building new student services that include bringing on a vice president for enrollment and communications.
Alerts Sign-up