yankton.net · Zach Wendling © 2026, Nebraska Examiner · September 9, 2026
UNL Enrollment Sees 1.4% Dip | Community | yankton.net
# UNL Enrollment Sees 1.4% Dip
- By Zach Wendling © 2026, Nebraska Examiner - Sep 8, 2026 - 12 mins ago - 0
Dr. Jeffrey Gold, president of the University of Nebraska system, gives his first "State of the University" address in the Nebraska State Capitol. Sept. 4, 2025. Zach Wendling/Nebraska Examiner
LINCOLN, Neb. — Enrollment across the University of Nebraska system is down 1.4% compared with this time last year, a difference of 700 students, according to NU data released Tuesday.
Much of the decrease in fall enrollment to 48,948 students comes again from international students (an 11% decrease, or 318 fewer students) and graduate students (a 5.6% decrease, or 530 fewer students). NU said the drop in graduate enrollment mirrors national trends in reduced federal research funding.
“Students are taking advantage of programs that allow them to move through college faster, and more quickly entering the workforce,” Gold said in a statement. “Across the NU system, more new students are choosing to pursue an undergraduate degree. These are positive developments that we should celebrate and encourage.”
In fall 2025, NU’s enrollment dipped slightly, by 0.2%. NU, and particularly the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, had just broken a trend of declining student enrollment the year before, with a slight bump of 0.7% across the system and 1.7% at UNL.
NU is asking the Nebraska Legislature to increase its bottom line by $166 million in the 2027-29 budget cycle. That’s assuming NU’s share of tax dollars remains flat and lawmakers, or Gov. Jim Pillen, do not seek cuts.
Nebraska Examiner is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Nebraska Examiner maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Joan von Kampen for questions: info@nebraskaexaminer.com.
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