Early count shows enrollment holding steady at Southern Nevada colleges

As colleges in Southern Nevada prepare to welcome students for the upcoming academic year on Monday, early enrollment numbers appear mostly steady compared with this time last year.

At the College of Southern Nevada, the state’s biggest public college, administrators reported that head-count enrollment (the total number of students signed up for classes) had inched down by about 1 percent as of Friday compared with the most relevant snapshot from last year.

Administrators cautioned that the figure can be misleading, as enrollment figures fluctuate rapidly before a semester begins — as of Aug. 22, for instance, that number was up more than 2 percent.

“It’s very early,” CSN President Mike Richards said, noting that a more accurate estimate would be available in October. “Enrollments at just about every higher education institution right now are fluctuating.”

Last fall semester, the school logged a 3.6 percent enrollment slump compared with 2014. The dip was blamed in part for a 15 percent budget cut brought on by a $1.8 million loss in funding.

UNLV, meanwhile, reported an estimate of about 29,000 enrolled students — the same estimate administrators released this time last year. The school also said it expects a freshman class of about 4,000, which is as many incoming students as it anticipated last year.

Henderson-based Nevada State College, the smallest of the region’s three public colleges, expects about 3,637 enrolled students this semester. Administrators said this is their largest count ever, though they did not say how many were tallied this time last year. The school has enjoyed steady growth since it was founded in 2002.

NSC administrators also expect more full-time students — a total of about 2,322, or a 4 percent jump.

“It’s good, steady growth for us,” NSC President Bart Patterson said.

Contact Ana Ley at aley@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512. Find her on Twitter @la__ley