RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Enrollment growth at Virginia's public colleges and universities is expected to slow over the next six years.
Overall, public four-year and two-year schools expect a 5 percent increase by the 2021-2022 academic year. Four schools anticipate a decline in enrollment.
The forecast is brighter at private, nonprofit higher education institutions. Enrollment growth at these schools is expected to grow by 32 percent.
The projected surge in private school enrollment is largely due to the growth of online programs at Regent and Liberty universities.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that public and private institutions submitted enrollment projections to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia. If the projections hold, Virginia would see 11 percent enrollment growth overall, from 530,213 students last academic year to 590,894 by 2021.
