Enrollment at the University System of Georgia’s 31 colleges and universities declined by about 5,000 students this fall.
The 1.6 percent drop from fall 2012 follows a similar 1.2 percent decline the previous year.
Chancellor Hank Huckaby updated the Board of Regents on the enrollment declines Wednesday during the regents’ final meeting of the year.
Regents were previously told about the decline in September when they approved the system’s annual budget request. At that time, the decline in overall credit hours meant a $20.15 million decrease in what the regents were allowed to request in state funding.
Enrollment is tied to how the state funds the university system. Fewer students enrolled mean fewer dollars for the institutions.
Georgia’s decline follows a national trend, and state leaders have also blamed the weak economy and changes to financial aid programs, such as the federal Pell Grant and Georgia’s HOPE Scholarship that reduced award payouts for some recipients.
The two years of enrollment declines have been the first for the university system since the early 1990s when the system changed its academic calendar when the system changed its academic calendar from three quarters a year to two semesters.
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