Kentucky’s independent colleges and universities saw a significant increase in enrollment this year, according to new Fall 2023 enrollment data available from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education.
Total fall enrollment grew by 8.5% at the 18 institutions that make up the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities. There were 4,640 more students enrolling than in Fall 2022.
“This is great news for the commonwealth’s independent college campuses,” AIKCU President Mason Dyer said. “This year’s boost in enrollment tells us that students and families recognize the unique value that our independent colleges and universities offer.”
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Dyer said that AIKCU members have been making substantial investments to improve student outcomes and retention as they continue to recover from the pandemic.
“This renewed momentum confirms that we’re focusing on the right things and moving in the right direction,” he said.
Headcount enrollment at AIKCU institutions reached a record 59,088 students for Fall 2023.
“This continues a period of phenomenal growth for AIKCU member colleges and universities,” Dyer said. “Our overall enrollment is up more than 63% over the last decade.”
While much of that growth has been driven by the expansion of graduate enrollment — up 255% since 2013 — Fall 2023 saw significant growth at the undergraduate level as well. Total Fall 2023 undergraduate enrollment at AIKCU institutions increased by 5.6% to approximately 33,000 students. Nearly 24,000 of those undergraduate students were enrolled full time in the fall.
First-time, full-time enrollment among AIKCU institutions, the traditional entering class, increased 4.4%. Fall 2023 AIKCU graduate enrollment increased by 12.4% over Fall 2022 after a slight dip last fall.
The 8.5% enrollment growth at independent colleges and universities played a large part in Kentucky’s 4.4% overall statewide enrollment growth. Total fall enrollment was up 1.3% at public four-year universities and 6.5% within the Kentucky Community & Technical College System, for an overall increase of 3.3% within the public sector.
You can explore the data in the CPE Data Center at reports.ky.gov.
Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities
