The overall enrollment number looks calm this fall. The groups inside it don't. Total enrollment at the University of Minnesota and at Minnesota State's colleges and universities came in flat, up by less than 1 percentage point. That steady total hides drops in freshmen, graduate students and international students across both systems.
Across all U campuses, the freshman count fell 6.5%. In the Twin Cities it fell 6.2%. Graduate enrollment fell 11.1% systemwide, and the number of international students dropped about 8%.
Gretchen Ritter pointed out that the U set first-year enrollment records in each of the previous 2 years. She said this year's smaller class is a return to more typical levels. Ritter also named an outside factor. She said Operation Metro Surge likely hurt enrollment because the Twin Cities looked like "a difficult place" last winter, which is when many students make their college decisions.
A U memo listed several reasons for the drop in graduate students: "shifts in federal research funding for assistantships, new graduate borrowing limits and international visa delays." Minnesota's strong job market also played a role, since it gives some would-be grad and professional students a reason to keep working instead. The drops in graduate and international students in Minnesota match national data. International applications through the Common App fell 9% for 2026-27.
Minnesota State is seeing the same pattern. Freshman enrollment across its colleges and universities fell a combined 4.5% from last year, and its graduate student count fell 4.8%.
For anyone who follows the U's budget, a flat total isn't the whole story. The university's Office of Institutional Data and Research keeps official enrollment counts on its enrollment reports page.
