Enrollment at Oklahoma’s public universities is rebounding, with a growing number of freshmen planning to attend many of the state’s schools this fall.
The increases are welcomed news for the schools following drops in student enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University, enrollment hit new peaks during the 2023-24 academic year. Both universities said Thursday that while they were still calculating total enrollment, they expect additional student growth this school year.
The University of Central Oklahoma had seen enrollment declines since 2019, but had a record increase in the number of freshmen for the 2023-24 school year compared to the year prior. School officials said they expect that to continue into this school year.
Angela Caddell, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, said the state’s declining enrollment numbers were consistent with national trends. But she said the overall enrollment across the state’s public institutions has begun trending upward in recent years.
A representative from the school referred to earlier comments OU President Joseph Harroz wrote in an Oklahoman opinion piece. He wrote that he expects enrollment to continue increasing as the school’s entry into the SEC may attract students.
Despite a drop in enrollment in 2020, OU has now surpassed its pre-pandemic enrollment levels, reaching over 32,600 students last fall.
OSU has seen a small decline in enrollment in 2021. The student population grew by over 1,600 students between 2019 and 2023.
The school recently broke two of its own enrollment records. It set new a record for freshman enrollment in 2022 and overall undergraduate enrollment in 2023.
A spokesperson for the university said the institution hopes to have another record-setting year in 2024.
UCO’s overall enrollment has dropped every year since 2019, but the university saw its freshman enrollment grow in the 2023-24 school year.
“The most recent drops in enrollment can be attributed primarily to complications of the COVID-19 pandemic and follow national trends at regional universities,” said Adrienne Nobles, a spokesperson for the university. “We have also done a lot of work to improve our recruitment, advisement, and enrollment processes.”
Oklahoma’s CareerTech schools also saw a drop in enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic, but have begun to rebound.
“We’re hopeful enrollments in CareerTech programs will continue trending upward, considering we’ve added new programs and are modifying graduation requirements to include career training,” said Russell Ray, a spokesperson for CareerTech.
While the CareerTech schools have not yet reached pre-pandemic enrollment, Oklahoma’s career-technical system has increased enrollment by over 34,000 students since 2020 and hopes to continue this trend, according to provided enrollment data.
CareerTech operates on 60 campuses and offers programs and services in areas such as aviation, energy and construction.
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