Lawrence Reporter

Douglas County's four universities admitted an estimated 88.3% of applicants for fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those who were admitted, 32.1% enrolled.

Of the four institutions in the county, three provided detailed enrollment data at the time, including Haskell Indian Nations University, Baker University and University of Kansas.

At least 17,249 people applied to Douglas County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.

NCES data shows that among them, around 29,578 students enrolled in the universities, including 21,515 in undergraduate and 8,063 in graduate programs. Only 4.4% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.

The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of white (66.7%) and Hispanic (9.6%) students.

Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, University of Kansas stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 26,708 students.

U.S. college enrollment has been in a downward trend since peaking at around 18.1 million students in 2010. Recent increases offered some relief, but experts project a steeper decline in 2025.

This decline is likely due to two main factors. First, the pool of young adults is shrinking as birth rates have fallen nearly 23% between 2007 and 2022. Second, the rising cost of higher education, including skyrocketing student loan debt. A 2023 Wall Street Journal report shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year degree is not worth the cost.

Some educational data is based on estimates. Shifting demographics among student populations can sometimes result in gender totals which do not equal 100%.

Institution	# of Applicants	# of Admitted Students	Total Enrollment
University of Kansas	16,204	14,260	26,708
Baker University	776	714	2,105
Haskell Indian Nations University	269	250	727
WellSpring School of Allied Health-Lawrence	--	--	38