Associated Press Published

Enrollment Down at West Virginia Colleges, Officials Say

College Class, Lecture Hall

Higher education officials say enrollment is down at West Virginia’s four-year and community colleges.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports that Chancellor Paul Hill told lawmakers Monday that has declined from its peak in 2011 as more people re-entered the work force. Officials said in their annual state of the Higher Education Report Card that full-time equivalent undergraduate enrollment fell from 64,427 in 2011 to 61,042 in 2014.

At the same time, officials say the number of students who are graduating is improving. Nearly 9,270 bachelor’s degrees were handed out in 2014, up to from 8,886 in 2011.

The number of students earning bachelor’s degrees in health related fields increased nearly 26 percent between 2010 and 2014. Degrees in science, technology, engineering and math majors increased by more than 12 percent.