KEARNEY, Neb. — Enrollment at the University of Nebraska-Kearney is below 6,000 students for the first time in at least 25 years.

The university announced Monday that its fall enrollment is 5,881 students. That total represents a 2.3% decrease compared to last year’s 6,017 students. The enrollment drop is a trend that’s existed since UNK peaked at 7,199 students in 2012. The school has seen a decrease in students every year since except for one.

A news release says the number of credit hours students are enrolled in, however, decreased only 0.5%. First-time freshmen numbered 875 – that’s 3.8% less than 2023, but more than in fall 2022. The number of continuing undergraduate students increased 0.4% to 4,267. Graduate students at UNK decreased 7% to 1,668.

University enrollment nationwide has dropped since the pandemic started, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, but has made a comeback over the past year.

UNK students come from nearly every county in Nebraska (92/93) and almost every state (47/50). The states with the largest representation are California (56), Colorado (125), Iowa (54), Kansas (118), South Dakota (29) and Texas (37). Iowa, Kansas and South Dakota recorded the largest increases. Among UNK’s first-time freshmen, 13.3% are not Nebraska residents.

UNK has 290 students from out of the country, the highest mark since 2019. The countries with the largest representation of students from countries other than the U.S. are Japan (108), Mexico (45), South Korea (41), China (27) and Nepal (24). Students from both South Korea and China increased dramatically over last year.

The number of students transferring to UNK from other colleges decreased 9% to 296. 

The College of Business and Technology saw an increase in student numbers to 1,071, with the largest increases in Industrial Technology and Management. Majors recording the largest increases, and their highest numbers in the last 10 years, were political science, physics and psychology. Management, health science and early childhood/elementary education remain the most popular majors.

Graduate program numbers at UNK increased in communication disorders, art/art history, English and health science.

The University of Nebraska as a whole saw its enrollment grow by 0.7% to 49,749.