About 800 fewer students are on campuses that make up the sprawling University of Wisconsin System this fall, a drop of about half a percentage point from last year, the System announced Wednesday. Among freshmen, the drop is more dramatic, at 2.2 percent.
System officials said the drop was expected due to an improving economy and a decline in the number of high school graduates in the state.
“College enrollments often spike during economic downturns and then level off as the economy begins to rebound,” President Ray Cross said in a statement. “This is a natural, expected trend.”
The enrollment numbers won’t be final until early next year. They include all students who were on campus as of the 10th day of fall classes.
Seven of the System’s four-year schools and the two-year UW Colleges actually saw an increase in enrollment, although each was modest. UW-Whitewater leads the gainers at 1.1 percent. UW-Platteville is next at 1.0 percent.
Related: Madison area high schools UW System and UW-Madison enrollment:
A look at UW-Madison freshman enrollment from Madison area high schools, 1983-2012.
Data via the UW-Madison registrar’s office.