RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - A new report shows enrollment is down at more than half of Virginia's public colleges and universities in the current academic year.
The report by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia says fall enrollment declined at eight of the state's 15 four-year schools, compared to fall 2013.
Total head count dropped from 214,667 students to 213,718. It's the first year-to-year decline in enrollment since 1994.
During the same period, enrollment at private, nonprofit four-year institutions rose from 131,910 students to 135,910.
Tod R. Massa, the council's director of policy research, tells the Richmond Times-Dispatch that Liberty University provided 61 percent of the private college enrollment, with 81,459 students.
The staff report will be presented to the council on Monday.
