It was one of the paradoxes of the pandemic. As enrollment wavered at most four-year colleges and dropped by as much as 15 percent on average at community colleges, many public flagship universities raked in record classes. Total fall enrollment at the University of Kentucky, for example, has climbed steadily from 31,110 in 2020 to 33,885 in 2023, according to federal data. Many other public flagships have continued to experience record growth as Covid-19 wanes.
But not all large public universities are experiencing boom times. The University of Nebraska at Lincoln is
facing a projected $12-million budget deficit, in part due to declining enrollment, and is evaluating possible program cuts. Its exact shortfall won’t be known until early next year, a spokesperson said, but Nebraska’s four-campus system is estimated to be $58 million in the red by the end of the 2025 fiscal year. West Virginia University
faces at $45-million budget gap, in part because of missed enrollment goals, and has proposed eliminating dozens of majors and programs. (The University of Arizona revealed last month that it had entered a state of “
financial crisis” due to fiscal miscalculations.)