Kansas Board of Regents
Preliminary enrollment figures released today by the Kansas Board of Regents show a slight decrease in student enrollment across the state’s public higher education system.
However, compared to last fall, Fort Hays State University saw an enrollment increase of 4%. The full-time equivalent enrollment this fall is 13,359, compared to 12,849 in 2025.
This is a comeback for FHSU after peaking enrollment at almost 16,000 students in 2019. The 10-year decline has been 8.9%.
A spokesman for FHSU said the university would not be releasing a further statement on the enrollment numbers at this time.
FHSU saw the largest percentage increase this year with the exception of Emporia State University, which enrolled 6% more students.
The two affiliated technical schools—Fort Hays Tech | North Central and Fort Hays Tech | North Central, both saw declines in fall enrollment, with FHSU North Central seeing a 6.6% decline in enrollment and FHSU Northwest seeing a 5.1% decline in enrollment.
Enrollment numbers in both headcount and full-time equivalency for each sector and institution may be accessed at stats.kansasregents.gov through the Fall Census tab.
Overall Kanas public universities saw a growth in headcount and full-time equivalent enrollment.
The community college and technical college sectors reported decreases in both headcount and full-time equivalent enrollment. Overall, the system has experienced less than a 1% decrease (-0.8%) in headcount as of the 20th day fall census compared to the prior year.
“After three years of growth, our system is experiencing flat enrollment this fall, with uneven results across sectors and institutions,” said Regents Chairwoman Alysia Johnston. “The Board remains focused on ensuring that education beyond high school remains affordable and accessible for Kansans and that students who enroll in our system achieve success in college and after graduation.”
Across the six state universities, there was an increase of 673 students (0.7%. Community colleges experienced a decrease of 1,246 students (-1.9 %), while technical colleges saw a decrease of 827 students (-6.8%).
Full-time equivalency is calculated by dividing the total number of undergraduate credit hours taken in a semester by 15 and graduate credit hours by 12.
For more information, contact Matt Keith at (785) 430-4237 or mkeith@ksbor.org.
About the Kansas Board of Regents
The nine-member Kansas Board of Regents is the governing board of the state’s six universities and the statewide coordinating board for the state’s 32 public higher education institutions (six state universities, one municipal university, 19 community colleges, and six technical colleges). In addition, the board administers the state’s student financial aid, adult education, high school equivalency, and career and technical education programs. Private proprietary schools and out-of-state institutions are authorized by the Kansas Board of Regents to operate in Kansas.
Cristina Janney of the Hays Post contributed to this story.