UH system enrollment dips slightly

Fall enrollment across the University of Hawaii system’s 10 campuses has dipped slightly to 59,288 students.

The university said 1,345 fewer students enrolled at a UH campus this semester, down 2.2 percent from last fall.

The overall decrease, UH said, follows record-breaking enrollments in each of the last five years. Enrollment had grown by 17 percent since 2007.

The UH-West Oahu campus and three of the community colleges posted enrollment gains while the other campuses saw slight decreases.

UH-West Oahu saw the largest gain: an increase of 380 students — or 18.8 percent — to 2,403 students.

Enrollment at the flagship Manoa campus fell by 2 percent, or 408 students, to 19,912 students, while UH-Hilo saw a 3.3 percent drop to 4,034 students.

The community colleges saw an overall 3.5 percent decrease for total enrollment of 32,939 students.

“Enrollment in higher education typically runs counter to economic growth.  Students often leave college when the economy provides more jobs. This is particularly true of the community college students,” Linda Johnsrud, executive vice president for academic affairs, said in a statement.