Kansas higher education sees rise in statewide headcount

KANSAS (KSNT) – The Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) has released its Fall Preliminary Enrollment summary, which indicates headcounts are up across the state.

KBOR released its Fall enrollment summary on Oct. 1. According to the report, the overall headcount in Kansas increased by 2.2% with state, community and technical schools all seeing an increase in headcount.

• State universities: +2,338 students (+2.5%).
• Community colleges: +499 students (+0.8%).
• Technical colleges: +722 students (+6.3%).

“The Kansas public higher education system has now experienced three consecutive years of fall enrollment growth,” said KBOR Chair Blake Benson in a press release on Oct. 1. “This is an encouraging trend and a sign that our system is providing affordable and accessible educational options for families. Our colleges and universities will continue to implement promising practices that help Kansans advance their education and careers and to work with businesses to build a robust talent pipeline for our state.”

Below is a breakdown of headcount increases from state universities:

University	2024	2025	One-year change %
Emporia State University	4,557	4,820	5.8%
Fort Hays State University	12,878	12,849	-0.2%
Kansas State University	19,802	20,719	4.6%
Kansas State University – Veterinary Medicine	493	494	0.2%
Pittsburg State University	5,774	5,803	0.5%
University of Kansas	26,887	27,121	1.2%
University of Kansas Medical Center	3,883	3,957	1.9%
Wichita State University	17,700	18,458	4.3%

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