The Meter: School’s Out
We took a look at higher ed enrollment figures across Minnesota.
Minnesota college/university enrollments have been shrinking, though not all at the same rate. St. Cloud State has attracted the most media attention, but other schools also are reporting declines.
With a demographics-driven drought of 18-year-olds about to take hold, here are some examples of enrollment shifts across different categories.
| SCHOOL | 2017 | 2022* |
| Private | ||
| Augsburg University | 3,456 | 3,056 |
| Carleton College | 2,075 | 2,007 |
| Public | ||
| Metro State University | 8,142 | 6,920 |
| MN State Mankato | 14,689 | 14,584 |
| St. Paul College | 6,923 | 5,363 |
| U of M Duluth | 11,114 | 9,704 |
| U of M Twin Cities | 58,106 | 55,119 |
| All MN postsecondary** | 421,732 | 378,183 |
*Most recent data reported.
**All Minnesota postsecondary institutions, including graduate programs. For-profit schools are not included.
Source: Minnesota Office of Higher Education
