University of Nebraska fall 2026 enrollment down 1.4% from 2025

LINCOLN — 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.

NU also cited decreasing birthrates, both in Nebraska and in much of the United States, as a cause for the declining enrollment.

Enrollment figures are based on the sixth day of classes.

NU President Jeffrey Gold said the enrollment report “reflects national trends and an important inflection point for Nebraska.”

“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.”

Despite the declines, NU also highlighted points of pride, including:

• More first-time freshmen, again, up 163 students to 7,987 (a 2% increase).
• Relatively stable, “strong” total credit hours, at about 602,000 (a 0.7% decrease), indicating students are taking more courses and accelerating their path to graduation.
• Increased enrollment at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture, a consistent trend for the campuses.

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.

Pillen, who is seeking reelection, has asked all state agencies to cut their budgets by 5% through the end of the current fiscal year. NU is included in that request.

“As Nebraska’s only public university system, serving the people and communities of our state is central to our mission,” Gold said Tuesday. “While I’m encouraged by our graduation rates and increasing numbers of first-time freshmen, we must continue our work to grow new programs that will support Nebraska’s workforce needs.”