Opinion | Higher ed enrollment trend a positive sign for Michigan’s future

This fall’s student enrollment figures are in for Michigan’s 15 public universities. The numbers lend confidence to our state’s ability to produce the talent pipeline needed to power Michigan’s economy forward. Total undergraduate student headcount, graduate student headcount and overall headcount are all up. In total, 259,241 students are enrolled at the state’s public universities this fall, of which 198,641 are undergraduates and 60,600 are in graduate programs.

After a dozen years of enrollment contraction, this marks a second consecutive year in which overall enrollment increased. This fall’s entering freshman class at the state’s public universities was down just 1% year-over-year, compared to a decline of 5% for the nation’s entire college-entering freshman class, the largest decline since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to National Student Clearinghouse estimates. In a state with a declining number of high school students, this is no small feat.

Many factors contributed to this fall’s enrollment outcomes. The likely biggest factor was the botched rollout of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the U.S. Department of Education. Completing the FAFSA is key to unlocking all forms of grant aid, including that which is provided by the federal government (Pell Grant), states and universities. Long delays in the launch of the revised website and technical difficulties in sending the data to universities made university leaders fear another enrollment crisis. 

Thanks to an all-hands-on-deck mindset put forth by countless stakeholders, Michigan’s high school senior class ultimately came within one percentage point of the prior year’s FAFSA completion rate. Credit goes to Michigan’s high school counselors, community-based organizations, university financial aid professionals and parents and other family members in their efforts to help students complete the FAFSA.

Credit for increasing enrollment at Michigan’s talent-producing universities also goes to our state lawmakers, who in bipartisan fashion created the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, which provides up to $5,500 a year for up to five years ($27,500 total) for eligible students enrolling at the state’s public universities. This represents a reduction of 30-42% off the price of tuition among the universities. A full three-quarters of incoming students should qualify for the grant, which is based on financial need, not academic merit.

It is this basic investment by the state in college affordability and access that is going to help more students better compete in the workforce. This is only the second year the Michigan Achievement Scholarship has been in place. Moving forward, visibility and word of mouth about the scholarship will continue to grow, aided by significant marketing efforts by the public universities and the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential.

Affording a public university education in Michigan has improved markedly. As our next cohort of high school graduates weigh their plans, there’s a good chance that more will opt for earning a bachelor’s degree. Further, 11 of the state universities have announced their participation in the Michigan Assured Admission Pact. To make the college-going decision even easier and simpler, any new Michigan high school graduate with a 3.0 grade point average or higher is assured admission to these 11 universities if they apply.

And the demand for four-year degrees in Michigan continues to grow. The Michigan Center for Data and Analytics recently issued its forecast of Michigan’s Hot 50 Jobs Outlook through 2032. Remarkably, 42 of the top 50 high-demand, high-wage occupations will require a bachelor’s degree or higher, or 84%. That’s good news for our state’s young adults who are considering their postsecondary options. They — and their parents — can have confidence that a degree from a Michigan public university is going to pay strong dividends. 

Initial indications are that the rigorous testing of the FAFSA for the 2024-25 cycle by the U.S. Department of Education is going well. High school seniors can begin completing the FAFSA on December 1. This year’s process should be much quicker and easier, with students receiving financial aid offers much sooner, enabling them to make more informed college-going decisions, and earlier. Michigan’s public universities will continue to partner in numerous ways with students, parents, high school counselors and countless stakeholders throughout the state in facilitating the college admission process, ensuring that our next generation is fully able to achieve their college and career ambitions. They will be better for it. And so will we all.