Kansas, Indiana Public Colleges Report Enrollment Gains

Kansas and Indiana public higher-education systems reported enrollment gains for fall 2025. The Kansas Board of Regents said systemwide headcount rose 2.2% year-over-year — six state universities added 2,338 students (+2.5%), community colleges added 499, and technical colleges added 722 (+6.3%). Wichita State set a record headcount of 25,147 (main campus 18,458, +4.3%) and WSU Tech reached its highest headcount at 6,689 (+9.5%); Emporia State posted a 6% year-over-year increase but remains below its decade-ago level, while technical colleges have grown roughly 68% over the past decade. Kansas State University grew for the third straight year to 21,213 students (+4.5%), including a large freshman class of 3,788 and strong retention (85.8%) and six-year graduation (71.5%) rates. In Indiana, public enrollment rose about 1.7% (roughly 4,230 students), with undergraduates reaching about 210,830 while graduate and international student counts declined; state officials attributed gains to initiatives such as automatic 21st Century Scholars enrollment, tuition freezes and pre-admissions, and Indiana University Northwest led IU campuses with a 7.2% increase.