--- title: "Michigan public university enrollment falls to 254,107, a decade low" description: "Only three of the state's 15 public universities avoided a drop this fall, and the losses erase recent gains." url: https://education.skoop.news/michigan-public-universities-lost-over-5-000-students-in-fal-367a6b/ published: 2026-10-26T19:29:42.403419-04:00 modified: 2026-10-26T19:29:42.403441-04:00 section: "Education & Careers" publisher: "skoop.news" language: en keywords: ["Michigan", "MASU CEO Dan Hurley", "Eastern Michigan University", "Michigan Achievement Scholarship", "Michigan State University", "Northern Michigan University", "University of Michigan", "COVID-19", "WICHE", "school"] hashtags: ["#MASUCEODanHurley", "#EasternMichiganUniversity", "#MichiganAchievementScholarship", "#School", "#education"] image: https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Detroit_December_2021_36_%28Wayne_State_University_Integrative_Biosciences_Center%29.jpg/1280px-Detroit_December_2021_36_%28Wayne_State_University_Integrative_Biosciences_Center%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail --- # Michigan public university enrollment falls to 254,107, a decade low > Only three of the state's 15 public universities avoided a drop this fall, and the losses erase recent gains. Published 2026-10-26 · Updated 2026-10-26 · Education & Careers, [skoop.news](https://skoop.news/) ## In brief - Total enrollment at Michigan's 15 public universities was 254,107 this fall, the lowest total in at least a decade, which affects students, staff and campuses across the state [[1]](https://www.highereddive.com/news/michigan-public-universities-lost-over-5000-students-in-fall-2026/872805/). - Michigan State University lost 897 students, the largest drop in students of any public university in the state [[1]](https://www.highereddive.com/news/michigan-public-universities-lost-over-5000-students-in-fall-2026/872805/). - Overall enrollment had risen 1.1% from 256,396 in fall 2022 to 259,330 in fall 2025 before the fall 2026 decline [[1]](https://www.highereddive.com/news/michigan-public-universities-lost-over-5000-students-in-fall-2026/872805/). ## A decade-low total Total enrollment at Michigan's 15 public universities was 254,107 this fall, the lowest total in at least a decade, which affects students, staff and campuses across the state [[1]](https://www.highereddive.com/news/michigan-public-universities-lost-over-5000-students-in-fall-2026/872805/). Enrollment at the universities fell for the first time in three years [[2]](https://wowo.com/more-than-5000-students-lost-as-enrollment-drops-at-michigan-public-universities/). Preliminary figures show total enrollment dropped from 259,330 students in fall 2025 to 254,107 in fall 2026 [[2]](https://wowo.com/more-than-5000-students-lost-as-enrollment-drops-at-michigan-public-universities/). Only three institutions avoided a year-over-year decline: the University of Michigan, the University of Michigan-Flint and Wayne State University [[1]](https://www.highereddive.com/news/michigan-public-universities-lost-over-5000-students-in-fall-2026/872805/). ## Where the losses landed Michigan State University lost 897 students, the largest drop in students of any public university in the state [[1]](https://www.highereddive.com/news/michigan-public-universities-lost-over-5000-students-in-fall-2026/872805/). Its enrollment fell from 51,838 to 50,941, and it is the state's second-largest university [[2]](https://wowo.com/more-than-5000-students-lost-as-enrollment-drops-at-michigan-public-universities/). Northern Michigan University lost nearly 6% of its students, dropping from 7,386 to 6,961 [[2]](https://wowo.com/more-than-5000-students-lost-as-enrollment-drops-at-michigan-public-universities/). Eastern Michigan University enrollment fell nearly 6%, from 12,176 students to 11,468 [[2]](https://wowo.com/more-than-5000-students-lost-as-enrollment-drops-at-michigan-public-universities/). Several other public universities lost roughly 5% of their students [[2]](https://wowo.com/more-than-5000-students-lost-as-enrollment-drops-at-michigan-public-universities/). Graduate student enrollment had the steepest drop, at nearly 5% [[2]](https://wowo.com/more-than-5000-students-lost-as-enrollment-drops-at-michigan-public-universities/). ## How this fits the longer trend Overall enrollment had risen 1.1% from 256,396 in fall 2022 to 259,330 in fall 2025 before the fall 2026 decline [[1]](https://www.highereddive.com/news/michigan-public-universities-lost-over-5000-students-in-fall-2026/872805/). The fall 2026 losses are poised to wipe out the enrollment gains made in recent years, per the preliminary data [[1]](https://www.highereddive.com/news/michigan-public-universities-lost-over-5000-students-in-fall-2026/872805/). Fall enrollment fell 12.6% from 2017 to 2026, a loss of nearly 37,000 students, according to MASU data [[1]](https://www.highereddive.com/news/michigan-public-universities-lost-over-5000-students-in-fall-2026/872805/). Combined public university enrollment in Michigan peaked at 301,919 students in 2011 before falling, including a sharp drop during the COVID-19 pandemic [[2]](https://wowo.com/more-than-5000-students-lost-as-enrollment-drops-at-michigan-public-universities/). ## The two factors behind the decline MASU CEO Dan Hurley identified fewer high school graduates and federal policies affecting international students as the two major factors behind the decline [[2]](https://wowo.com/more-than-5000-students-lost-as-enrollment-drops-at-michigan-public-universities/). He said Michigan is approaching its 20th year of a shrinking pipeline of high school students [[2]](https://wowo.com/more-than-5000-students-lost-as-enrollment-drops-at-michigan-public-universities/). The state's population of high school graduates is expected to drop by a fifth from 2023 to 2041, according to a WICHE forecast [[1]](https://www.highereddive.com/news/michigan-public-universities-lost-over-5000-students-in-fall-2026/872805/). The federal policies include travel restrictions affecting certain countries and increased scrutiny of international student applications and social media activity, making it harder for some international students to attend Michigan universities [[2]](https://wowo.com/more-than-5000-students-lost-as-enrollment-drops-at-michigan-public-universities/). Hurley said the graduate enrollment drop reflects federal policy on international student visas [[2]](https://wowo.com/more-than-5000-students-lost-as-enrollment-drops-at-michigan-public-universities/). The administration has defended its immigration and visa policies on grounds including national security, immigration enforcement and increased federal oversight of universities [[2]](https://wowo.com/more-than-5000-students-lost-as-enrollment-drops-at-michigan-public-universities/). ## What this means for you If you attend or work at a Michigan public university, a smaller student population can affect tuition revenue, staffing, academic programs and campus planning, particularly at institutions already experiencing substantial declines [[2]](https://wowo.com/more-than-5000-students-lost-as-enrollment-drops-at-michigan-public-universities/). Michigan State, Northern Michigan and Eastern Michigan are among the schools that lost students this fall [[1]](https://www.highereddive.com/news/michigan-public-universities-lost-over-5000-students-in-fall-2026/872805/) [[2]](https://wowo.com/more-than-5000-students-lost-as-enrollment-drops-at-michigan-public-universities/). If you are weighing the cost of college, Hurley said state financial aid programs, including the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, may help make college more affordable and support enrollment [[2]](https://wowo.com/more-than-5000-students-lost-as-enrollment-drops-at-michigan-public-universities/). ## Sources 1. [Michigan public universities lost over 5,000 students in fall 2026](https://www.highereddive.com/news/michigan-public-universities-lost-over-5000-students-in-fall-2026/872805/) — Higher Ed Dive 2. [More Than 5,000 Students Lost as Enrollment Drops at Michigan Public Universities](https://wowo.com/more-than-5000-students-lost-as-enrollment-drops-at-michigan-public-universities/) — WOWO Image: Photo: Michael Barera / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Detroit_December_2021_36_(Wayne_State_University_Integrative_Biosciences_Center).jpg) --- Written from the sources above and checked twice (rules and an independent model) before publishing. 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