Steepest enrollment decline – public universities

These 50 public universities show the steepest undergraduate enrollment declines over the available trend window, out of 1,677 with reported enrollment history. Hacienda La Puente Adult Education (CA) has fallen 86.9%.

Institutions ranked by Undergrad change (2016–2024).
#	Institution	Undergrad change (2016–2024)
1	Hacienda La Puente Adult EducationCA	-86.9%
2	University of Puerto Rico-UtuadoPR	-77.3%
3	University of New Mexico-Los Alamos CampusNM	-73.3%
4	University of South Carolina-SalkehatchieSC	-72.6%
5	Instituto Tecnologico de Puerto Rico-Recinto de GuayamaPR	-70.7%
6	Metro Technology CentersOK	-68.9%
7	Colegio Universitario de San JuanPR	-67.9%
8	Clovis Adult EducationCA	-67.5%
9	University of South Carolina-UnionSC	-67%
10	University of Arkansas GranthamAR	-66.4%
11	Allen County Community CollegeKS	-66%
12	Ohio University-Southern CampusOH	-64.7%
13	Meridian Technology CenterOK	-64.6%
14	University of New Mexico-Valencia County CampusNM	-64.6%
15	University of BaltimoreMD	-64.4%
16	University of Connecticut-Waterbury CampusCT	-63.5%
17	Central Technology CenterOK	-63.2%
18	Clinton Community CollegeNY	-60.9%
19	University of Arkansas Hope-TexarkanaAR	-60.5%
20	Bloomfield College of Montclair State UniversityNJ	-59.8%
21	Navarro CollegeTX	-59%
22	University of New Mexico-Gallup CampusNM	-58.6%
23	Victor Valley CollegeCA	-57.2%
24	Ohio University-Lancaster CampusOH	-56.8%
25	University of Akron Wayne CollegeOH	-56.1%
26	Piedmont Community CollegeNC	-54.5%
27	Cascadia CollegeWA	-54.5%
28	University of New Mexico-Taos CampusNM	-53.6%
29	Hocking CollegeOH	-53.4%
30	Washburn Institute of TechnologyKS	-53.1%
31	Truman State UniversityMO	-52.6%
32	Ranger CollegeTX	-52.6%
33	Henderson State UniversityAR	-52.2%
34	Vincennes UniversityIN	-51.6%
35	Ohio University-Zanesville CampusOH	-51.6%
36	SUNY Corning Community CollegeNY	-51.1%
37	Instituto Tecnologico de Puerto Rico-Recinto de ManatiPR	-50.7%
38	Atlanta Metropolitan State CollegeGA	-50.6%
39	TCAT AthensTN	-50.6%
40	Mineral Area CollegeMO	-50.6%
41	Mt Hood Community CollegeOR	-50.5%
42	Saint Cloud State UniversityMN	-50.5%
43	University of South Carolina-LancasterSC	-50.1%
44	Southern State Community CollegeOH	-50.1%
45	Schenectady County Community CollegeNY	-49.9%
46	CUNY Medgar Evers CollegeNY	-49.5%
47	Compton CollegeCA	-49.4%
48	Massachusetts College of Liberal ArtsMA	-49.4%
49	Central Michigan UniversityMI	-48.7%
50	Western Illinois UniversityIL	-48.4%

A data ranking, not an Ibex endorsement or quality rating. Ranked solely on the metric named above using U.S. Department of Education data for 2024-25 (Scorecard); federal collections lag the current academic year, and some measures are no longer published at all, so the most recent figure is not always a recent one. Institutions that do not report this metric are excluded. Figures and peer context appear on each institution’s profile.

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Frequently asked

Which of these public universities ranks highest by undergraduate enrollment decline?

Hacienda La Puente Adult Education (La Puente, CA), at -86.9%. It leads 50 institutions shown here, drawn from 1,677 with reported data.

How is this ranking calculated?

On one disclosed metric only: by undergraduate enrollment decline, from College Scorecard & IPEDS, 2024-25 (Scorecard). Institutions that do not report the metric are excluded. It is a data ranking, not an Ibex endorsement, quality rating or reputation survey, and no part of it is estimated or AI-generated.

How current is the data?

This list is built from the College Scorecard release of June 10, 2026 and the newest IPEDS collection on disk, using the most recent figure each of them publishes for the metric it ranks: College Scorecard & IPEDS, 2024-25 (Scorecard). Federal collections lag the current academic year by two to three years, so the newest published figure is not always a recent one; the release the leaderboard is dated on is printed under it.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard & IPEDS (each measure carries its own collection year; see the methodology), with NSF NCSES (HERD), the Clery Act & EADA collections, Census ACS, BLS Employment Projections, WICHE & the FSA Direct Loan Dashboard. Compiled by Ibex Insights. For informational benchmarking only, not financial, investment, or accreditation advice. See the methodology.