Summer enrollment shows mixed but encouraging program-level gains. Inclusive Early Childhood Education (Graduate Certificate) and the MA in Special Education both increased new summer enrollment (4 → 6), outperforming last year. Counseling continues to show positive headcount, but credit hour production remains flat, suggesting lighter student course loads.
Fall 2026 undergraduate demand is strong, particularly in Inclusive Elementary Education, which continues to grow across applications, admits, and matriculation. The MA in Special Education also shows sustained growth across the full admission funnel. However, overall enrollment is not keeping pace with applications.
The primary constraint is yield: admitted students are not converting to enrolled students at the same rate as last year. This is most evident in undergraduate fall and graduate summer pipelines, indicating a broader conversion challenge rather than an application shortfall.
Undergraduate Summer Table {.tabset}
Inclusive Early Childhood Education is still affected by teacher shortages across the state and country. This means fewer people are entering the program than before. Even so, interest remains, and the program continues to do a good job retaining and moving students through.
Principal Licensure numbers should be interpreted in context of program changes. One year had a large cohort, while more recent students are being routed through Extended Studies. This affects reporting comparability more than underlying demand.
We recently met with Jevita Rogers (Assistant Vice Chancellor of Financial Aid & Student Employment), who noted that fall enrollment is not yet final and there is still time for continued enrollment activity. Her guidance is to remain cautiously optimistic.
She also emphasized that current enrollment patterns are consistent with national trends in education, including broader concerns about degree value and earnings potential in service-oriented fields such as teaching. While there have been changes in financial aid (including Grad PLUS loans), support mechanisms are still available to help students enroll.
For undergraduates, application demand remains strong in several programs, but conversion from admission to enrollment is the primary challenge. Students are applying at healthy levels but not enrolling at last year’s rates.
Graduate programs continue to show mixed patterns. Some cohorts and certificates remain stable or growing, while others are slower due to timing and conversion effects. Overall, trends vary by program rather than reflecting a uniform decline.
Summer SCH remains stronger than expected and is close to prior-year levels despite fewer pipeline entrants, suggesting stable credit loads among enrolled students.
Overall, current indicators suggest steady performance relative to national trends, with fall enrollment still in progress and opportunities remaining to improve yield.