Regents: Fall 2019 enrollment down at South Dakota public universities

Enrollment at South Dakota's six public universities is slightly down this year, the Board of Regents announced this week. 

Total enrollment is down about 3.4 percent, or 1,217 students, compared to last year, according to a Friday release from the South Dakota Board of Regents. Total headcount is at 34,520. 

The number of full-time students for fall 2019 was down by about 790 students to a total of about 25,304.

The decline could in part be due to South Dakota's low unemployment rate and strong job market, and the state's need for more financial aid, Paul B. Beran, the South Dakota Board of Regents executive director and CEO, said in the release. 

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“That results in some students choosing work over education, especially if they struggle to find the financial resources to attend college,” Beran said in a statement. “South Dakota lacks a stable source of state-level, need-based financial aid. In our work with the Governor and state legislators, we’ll continue to stress that such support is critical to make higher education a reality for more students.” 

Dakota State University was the only institution to report an increase in full-time student enrollment this year. The Madison university reported an increase of 1.26 percent from last fall, from 2,037.3 to 2,062.9 full-time students. DSU, however, still reported an overall headcount decrease of about 3 percent.

South Dakota State University saw the highest percentage drop in total headcount enrollment, down 589 students from last year, or 4.86 percent.

It's the second year in a row South Dakota's public universities saw an overall decrease in student enrollment. According to regents numbers, the fall 2018 enrollments were down about 2 percent from fall 2017. 

Email reporter Danielle Ferguson at dbferguson@argusleader.com, or follow on Twitter at @DaniFergs.