Tennessee Higher Education Increases Enrollment for the Fourth Consecutive Year

Tuesday, October 08, 2019 | 03:03pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jessica Powers
615-532-0428
Jessica.powers@tn.gov

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – October 8, 2019 – The Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC) today released the latest student enrollment data for the fall 2019 semester, indicating an increase of 225,885 students representing a 0.7% increase compared with 2018.

“This is our fourth year of continued enrollment growth in Tennessee. It is encouraging to see our state’s continued momentum at a time when many states are experiencing a decline in higher education enrollment,” said THEC Executive Director Mike Krause. “This indicates progress toward our goal of having 55% of Tennesseans with a degree beyond high school, and most importantly, our ability an educated workforce.”

The Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) reported that 87,863 students enrolled in community colleges this fall, with Cleveland State and Roane State Community Colleges experiencing the largest growth at 3.2% and 3.1%, respectively.

The University of Tennessee (UT) system’s enrollment is up due to increases at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and the University of Tennessee, Martin. Overall, enrollment at UT institutions increased 2.4% over last fall.

Among locally governed institutions (LGIs), the University of Memphis saw the largest increase in enrollment 1.1%, while East Tennessee State University was down by approximately 1%. The data indicate that both community college and LGI enrollment remains steady as compared to last year.

About the Tennessee Higher Education Commission
The Tennessee Higher Education Commission was created in 1967 by the Tennessee General Assembly. The Commission develops, implements, and evaluates postsecondary education policies and programs in Tennessee while coordinating the state’s systems of higher education, and is relentlessly focused on increasing the number of Tennesseans with a postsecondary credential.