Enrollment declines again, but revenue up at LSU New Orleans

LSU New Orleans has reported another decline in its enrollment in its first semester back in the LSU System. 

University officials report there are 5,533 students enrolled this fall, down from 5,670 a year ago and short of the 6,000 projected students LSU System President Wade Rousse said the campus budget was built around. 

Last year, state legislators approved switching the 70-year-old school from the University of Louisiana System, which it had been a part of since 2011, back to LSU, which originally established the campus. Lawmakers believe the move will help stabilize the university, as all of LSU’s institutions have regularly boasted enrollment records in contrast to a national trend of declining student numbers. 

LSU New Orleans’ enrollment decrease spans two decades. The school had a student body of around 17,000 before Hurricane Katrina in 2005, with an immediate drop to around 6,000 after the storm.

The declining enrollment created a financial crisis that prompted lawmakers to act. 

Despite the lower student count, LSU New Orleans spokeswoman Sarah Bergez said revenue at the school has increased about $1.5 million from the prior fall. It’s being attributed to higher fees for dual-enrollment courses, which are open to qualifying high school students who want to earn college credit. 

Bergez said the university will consider mid-year budget adjustments, but she added it probably won’t be necessary based on anticipated philanthropy. 

“Enrollment loss is not newsworthy anymore. That was the problem over the last two decades, and now we’re stopping that problem as quickly as we can,” Bergez said in a statement. 

LSU System President Wade Rousse said the New Orleans campus recruited 21% more new students than it did last fall and dramatically increased its retention of students already enrolled. The anticipation is that enrollment will increase over the next year, he said.

“Make no mistake though, the financial situation of LSU New Orleans remains challenging,” Rousse said. “However, through better management, marketing that leverages the LSU brand and academic offerings tied to market demand, we believe it is on a path to success.” 

Among Rousse’s plans for boosting enrollment was offering students who applied to LSU’s main campus but were not accepted a spot at LSU New Orleans. Numbers were not made available to show how many rejected Baton Rouge campus applicants have enrolled in New Orleans 

The budget crisis at the former University of New Orleans was building for several years before finally being made public in 2023, when Kathy Johnson was hired as president to right the ship. Johnson left her position earlier this year to become provost at St. Louis University, and the search is ongoing for her replacement. 

University leaders have mitigated the crisis through layoffs, eliminating and combining academic programs, reducing the campus’ physical footprint and using state dollars to pay down outstanding debts.