# Page 1
Executive Summary
Summer headcount is up slightly (+3%), suggesting stable participation despite lighter credit loads. Fall headcount is down (-12.5%), tracking broader institutional trends. Undergraduate demand is strengthening, while graduate admissions remain mixed with top-of-the funnel declines, but mixed conversion in the middle and end of the funnel.
See Page 2 for detailed funnel breakdown.
Growth Areas
Human Services & Behavioral Health is the strongest fall growth driver (+144% applications, 27 → 70), with strong gains across admits and matriculations. Secondary Education also shows exceptional growth across all funnel stages, including +600% matriculations.
Declines
Inclusive Early Childhood Education and select licensure programs remain the primary areas of application decline. Secondary Education Post-Bacc applications fell to zero, but last year they had one application (-100%). Human Services BA shows weakening conversion in some stages.
Overall, undergraduate fall funnel performance is strong with broad-based application growth and improving upstream demand. Summer shows lower volume but improved yield (fewer applicants converting at higher rates).
Graduate admissions remain the primary concern due to declining application volume across both summer and fall. While select programs show strong growth, the overall funnel is constrained by insufficient top-of-funnel activity.
Growth Areas
MA in Special Education continues strong performance (+80% summer applications; +25% fall admits; +66% matriculations). Early Childhood Education Graduate Certificate programs also show strong growth across all stages (+100% enrollment in summer).
Declines
Student Affairs in Higher Education shows steep summer declines (-50% applications, -30% admits). MA in Leadership: Principal Licensure Endorsement shows the largest fall declines (-64% applications, -71% admits, -76% matriculations, -57% enrollment).
Graduate funnel remains constrained primarily by application volume.
| Metric | COE | Main Campus |
|---|---|---|
| Summer SCH | -2.98% | -9.3% |
| Fall SCH | -11.4% | -14.4% |
# Page 2
Admissions Funnel and Highlights
| Stage | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|
| Applications | Down | Up |
| Admits | Down | Up |
| Matriculations | Down | Up |
| Enrolled | Mixed | Mixed |
These are for Fall:
- HSBH: Applications +144% (27 → 70), Admits +143% (21 → 51), Matriculations +10% (7 → 14)
- Inclusive Elementary Education: Enrolled +24% (21 → 26)
- Secondary Education Post-Bacc: Applications -100% (1 → 0)
- HSBH enrolled: -40% (5 → 3) indicates yield pressure despite strong demand
| Stage | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|
| Applications | Down | Down |
| Admits | Mixed | Mixed |
| Matriculations | Mixed | Mixed |
| Enrolled | Mixed | Mixed |
| Term | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Summer | 1,526 | 1,458 | -4.5% |
| Fall | 2,820 | 2,562 | -9.1% |
What might explain early childhood's data compared to last year?
Inclusive Early Childhood Education continues to experience ongoing statewide and national workforce constraints that affect educator pipeline volume. While demand remains present, the available applicant pool has been tighter in this cycle. Compared to broader national trends in early childhood preparation programs, UCCS continues to demonstrate relatively strong retention and conversion performance.
What context may explain principal licensure?
Principal Licensure comparisons should be interpreted in light of cohort timing and structural changes in program delivery. The 2025 cycle included an unusually large cohort, and current cohorts are now primarily administered through Extended Studies. This shift affects both timing and how enrollment is reflected in reporting, meaning the observed decline is partly structural rather than purely demand-driven.
Why are Fall headcount and SCH down compared to last year?
Fall enrollment trends at the College level continue to align with broader main-campus patterns, suggesting a systemic rather than localized shift. There is evidence of delayed registration behavior and lighter average credit loads per student, both of which can suppress early-term SCH totals. Summer stability suggests continued student engagement, but timing and affordability pressures may be influencing fall registration pacing.
What may explain the undergraduate and graduate funnel trends?
The undergraduate funnel shows broad-based application growth across most degree-seeking programs, particularly in Human Services & Behavioral Health and Secondary Education. However, conversion into enrollment remains uneven in select areas, indicating that yield and continuation remain the primary constraints rather than initial demand.
Graduate enrollment trends are more heterogeneous. Some programs, particularly those with cohort-based or certificate-driven pipelines, show stability or growth, while others remain constrained by reduced application volume and program-specific timing effects. Overall, the graduate picture is best understood as uneven distribution rather than uniform decline.
Anything else notable?
One positive signal is that Summer SCH has improved relative to earlier projections and is now near flat year-over-year despite a smaller applicant pool, suggesting improved yield and persistence in select areas. Online Summer SCH also remains stable, indicating continued demand for flexible course delivery.
More broadly, national enrollment trends in higher education continue to show long-term downward pressure in Education programs. Within that context, COE performance remains comparatively resilient, though the current cycle highlights continued sensitivity to pipeline volume and timing effects.