The figures aren’t yet official, but two of Idaho’s three universities took turns touting their fall enrollment numbers.
In dueling Thursday news releases, Boise State University reported an enrollment record, and the University of Idaho reported another fall enrollment increase.
Here are the highlights:
Boise State University
Boise State talked up its overall numbers — and increases in in-state enrollment:
- Overall enrollment hit a record 27,250, a 2% increase from the previous fall. Degree-seeking undergraduates accounted for much of the increase.
- In-state degree-seeking undergraduate numbers increased by 657 students, or 6.5%.
- First-year in-state enrollment reached a record 2,185, an 11.5% increase.
“Each new Idaho student who enrolls at Boise State is a testament to our deep commitment to serving our state,” President Marlene Tromp said in a news release. “Idaho has one of the lowest rates for college attendance in the country, and we want to respond to the real need in our state.”
The influx of in-state students continues a turnaround at Idaho’s largest four-year school. In the fall of 2021, in the midst of the pandemic, a majority of Boise State’s first-year students came from outside Idaho.
Boise State says its number of new Idaho students has increased by more than 51% since 2020.
University of Idaho
Enrollment increased for the seventh straight semester, driven by the largest new student class in the U of I’s 132-year history.
- Overall enrollment totaled 12,286, up 3.7%.
- For the third successive year, the U of I welcomed a record first-year student class. This year, the number came in at 2,025, an 8.3% increase. The new Idaho Launch postsecondary program accounted for much of the increase; 747 first-year students are using Launch money at U of I.
- In-state undergraduate enrollment increased by 4.9%.
“The value of a U of I education is well known and continues to attract highly qualified students who engage in the Vandal experience to the benefit not only for themselves but also the workforce,” President C. Scott Green said in a news release.
What’s next?
The State Board of Education hasn’t yet released the fall enrollment numbers for Idaho’s other colleges and universities. Those reports should go public next week.
