UHMC Fall Enrollment Down 6.3%

UHMC’s great lawn. Photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

Enrollment at the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College dropped 6.3% in the fall 2013 semester compared to the same time last year, officials said.

University officials say a total of 4,097 students were enrolled at UHMC, a drop off of 275 students from the fall 2012 semester.

“Enrollment in higher education typically runs counter to economic growth. Students often leave college when the economy provides more jobs. This is particularly true of the community college students,” said Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Linda Johnsrud in a UH press release.

Four out of the seven UH community colleges reported a decrease in fall enrollment, while the flagship UH Mānoa campus experienced a slight decline of 2%, and UH-Hilo posted a 3.3% decline.

Bucking the trend was UH West Oʻahu, the university’s newest campus, which posted an 18.8% increase, adding 380 students, for a total enrollment of 2,403 students, university officials said.

Overall, UH had a total of 59,288 students enrolled in the fall 2013 semester, a 2.2% decline or 1,345 less students from the previous year.

“This decrease comes after record-breaking enrollments in each of the last five years,” university officials announced, noting that enrollment has grown by 17% since 2007.

Below is a list of fall 2013 enrollment data released for each campus within the UH system.

• UH Mānoa: 19,912, decrease of 2% or 408 students.
• UH Hilo: 4,034, decrease of 3.3% or 138 students.
• UH West Oʻahu: 2,403, increase of 18.8% or 380 additional students.
• Hawaiʻi CC: 3,442 students, decrease of 6.6% or 244 students.
• Honolulu CC: 4,437 students, decrease of 4.6% or 213 students.
• Kapiʻolani Community College: 8, 523 students, decrease of 6.1% or 558 students.
• Kauaʻi CC: 1,531 students, increase of 1.3% or 19 students.
• Leeward CC: 8,069 students, increase of 0.4% or 30 students.
• UH Maui College: 4,097 students, decrease of 6.3% or 275 students.
• Windward CC: 2,840 students, increase of 2.2% or 62 students.