By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
Total enrollment at the two UW-Whitewater campuses, which has declined for the past three years, has fallen once again. The 10th day fall enrollment, the standard measure of enrollment, was 11,087, a decline of 373 students from last year. Total enrollment when UW-Rock County consolidated with UW-Whitewater in 2018 was 13,059. The all-time record enrollment of 12,628 at the Whitewater campus was in 2016-17, versus the current 10,494.
A bright spot is Graduate Studies enrollment on the Whitewater campus, with a record 1,712 students pursuing Master’s or Doctor’s degrees, compared with 1,683 last year. Nine years ago graduate students numbered only 1,163.
Declining high school graduation classes in the state and nationally, together with low unemployment and rising wages, are contributing to enrollment declines at most universities. Initial estimates for the entire UW System for the current school year indicated that there was a decline of approximately 1%. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found that undergraduate enrollment at four-year public universities fell by 1.6%. Graduate enrollment dropped by 1%. UW-W’s total decline was approximately 3%.
In response to the Banner’s inquiry regarding enrollment, Interim Chancellor John Chenoweth provided the following statement:
“We are proud that students continue to choose the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to further their education. Every day I’m inspired by the dedication of our faculty and staff and their commitment to student success at every level. Their passion draws students to our university, both at our Whitewater and Rock County campus, and enables students to feel supported every day.”
“We are seeing encouraging areas of enrollment. For example, we are enthusiastic about our trends in first-time full-time students, graduate students, and online students. Outside of UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee, we are number one in the system in total student aid provided, enrollment from non-resident students and underrepresented minority students, and distance education students. We are also number one in our percentage of graduating transfer students in six years or less. And the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at Rock County is the third-largest branch campus in the state and we are planning to add new academic and student opportunities there.”
“Looking ahead, stabilizing our enrollment is among our top priorities. But it’s not just about enrolling students, it is about retaining them, graduating them, and then supporting their transition into the next chapter of their lives, whether it’s the start of a career or graduate school.”
A summary of the recent enrollment statistics is shown below. Longer term statistics may be found here.
| 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | |
| Whitewater Campus Undergraduate | 9657 | 9133 | 8782 |
| Graduate | 1567 | 1683 | 1712 |
| Total Whitewater Campus | 11224 | 10816 | 10494 |
| Rock County Campus | 771 | 644 | 593 |
| Grand Total | 11995 | 11460 | 11087 |
