MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) - A decline in students from rural counties is playing a major role in an overall drop in enrollment at Kansas State University, according to a new analysis.
Total enrollment from Kansas counties considered completely rural fell by more than 27% over the last five years, while enrollment from mostly urban counties dropped by 9.2%, according to an analysis by the Manhattan Mercury. Enrollment from counties deemed mostly rural fell by 21%.
The categories were based on U.S. Census Bureau definitions.
Enrollment at the university’s Manhattan, Salina and Olathe campuses dropped to a 20-year low of 21,719 students this semester. That’s a decline of more than 3,000 students, or 12.3%, since Kansas State hit a record 24,766 students in 2014.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.