Associated Press Published

W.Va.'s Student Enrollment Stabilizing

Higher Education Policy Commission

The Higher Education Policy Commission says student enrollment at West Virginia’s public four-year colleges is showing signs of stabilizing.

HEPC Chancellor Paul Hill says enrollment in the state’s public colleges has declined in each of the past five years, but a smaller decline this fall could indicate efforts to boost enrollment are working.

The Charleston Gazette-Mail reports the head count for West Virginia’s 12 public four-year colleges is now 64,829. That’s a less than 1 percent drop from last year.

Neal Holly, the commission’s vice chancellor for policy and planning, says enrollment for students 24 and younger has been steady, dropping only 1.2 percent in the past five years. He says the state’s enrollment decline is higher among students 25 years and older at 27 percent since 2010.