Tennessee State University's enrollment took a nosedive this fall
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios
College enrollment in Tennessee has largely stabilized after a pandemic-era drop-off, but new numbers show one Nashville university is facing a potentially cataclysmic enrollment cliff.
The latest: Tennessee State University's class of incoming freshmen is a whopping 50% smaller than last year, according to new fall 2024 enrollment data. The historically Black university's full enrollment is down 25%.
Why it matters: Enrollment is everything in higher education, including a key source of revenue. Steep drops can put colleges in dire financial binds that require layoffs and program cuts.
- At TSU, where money was already tight, existing problems could get worse.
Zoom in: TSU's troubled finances were the key factor in a controversial leadership shakeup earlier this year.
- State lawmakers booted the TSU board and upended the university's search for a new president following a series of withering audits that described widespread mismanagement by top administrators.
- One of the audits said administrators had previously over-enrolled students while also quadrupling their scholarship budget.
State of play: TSU's interim president, who took charge earlier this year, had already enacted significant austerity measures before the new enrollment data came out, including cutting travel for the university's famed Aristocrat of Bands.
What they're saying: "We are actively analyzing the factors contributing to the decline and have already begun to take steps to address them," TSU interim president Ronald A. Johnson said in a statement.
- Johnson said he will roll out several efforts to boost enrollment "in the coming days and weeks" as part of the university's broader "Trajectory Change Initiative."
The big picture: Enrollment data is much more encouraging elsewhere in the state, according to data released this month by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
- Student rolls grew across the University of Tennessee system and at other public four-year universities, including Middle Tennessee State University.
- Enrollment is also ticking up across the state's network of 13 community colleges.
Flashback: A few years ago, when community college enrollment faltered during the pandemic, those institutions laid off staff and cut programming to make ends meet.