NMU Releases 10th Day Enrollment Report

Northern Michigan University's 10th day enrollment report shows overall enrollment and credit hours holding steady, a 7% growth in Global Campus online programs, an all-time high in the first-to-fifth semester retention rate, and increases in continuing undergraduate and graduate students.

The total headcount for fall is 7,386, a slight dip of 0.3% compared with last year. The incoming class of first-time freshmen numbers 1,533.

"That's down a bit from last fall, but we have to remember that fall 2023's class was up nearly 10%, so seeing three large freshman classes in a row is great news," said Jason Nicholas, assistant provost and director of Institutional Effectiveness and University Strategic Planning. "We are entering a period where demographic challenges will amplify over the coming years, so having stable enrollment numbers is very important."

Demand for Global Campus offerings, particularly in areas such as social work, education and applied sports psychology, has led to strong growth in online programs. Nicholas said degree programs that students can pursue while working, especially those that support promotion or enhance job security, are essential to offer as distance education options.

The graduate student population has increased slightly, despite a decrease in first-time graduate counts. Program cohort timing affects the number of new graduate students, he added.

"Seeing continued growth in departments such as Theater and Dance, Social Work, Criminal Justice, Education and Psychology provides a stable footing by which we can continue to explore new offerings and build upon existing programs," Nicholas said. "Having a broad portfolio of traditional, online, graduate, and vocational and technical programs across many different degrees means there's always something NMU has to offer folks to achieve their academic goals."