UND is still the North Dakota University System's enrollment leader, according to official third-week enrollment numbers issued today by the state's 11 public colleges and universities.
UND enrolled 12,559 students, 32 more than the 12,527 enrolled at North Dakota State University in Fargo.
When unofficial first day enrollment numbers were released three weeks ago, NDSU held a 276-student edge over UND, leading to speculation that NDSU might eclipse UND's role as the state's highest enrollment university, a distinction the school has held since its founding in 1882.
Despite public interest in the enrollment race, officials at both universities have consistently played down the numbers game, arguing that the two universities have different missions and that whatever is good for either university is good for the state of North Dakota.
"What's important is what our numbers mean to us, where we have stability and where we need to do more work," UND Spokesman Peter Johnson said. "We're not worried about what other institutions are doing except in total and what that means to the state."
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Despite retaining its position as the state's enrollment leader, UND's official enrollment represents a drop of 275 students over the same time last year. NDSU, by contrast showed an increase of 269 students over last year.
If that trend continues, NDSU is likely to overtake UND in total enrollment within the next year or two.
Much of UND's enrollment drop came in the school's John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences and College of Human Development. Johnson credited the aerospace drop to students' concerns about the future of the commercial airline industry. Aviation officials said that enrollment trend is likely to reverse in the next couple of years.
Johnson linked the education and human development drop to an increase in the number of similar programs across the state.
The official third-week enrollment figure is a snapshot of students enrolled on one particular day and does not represent the total number of students enrolled at the school throughout the year. The State Board of Higher Education requires the third week count.
Marks reports on higher education. Reach him at (701) 780-1105, (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or jmarks@gfherald.com .
