Michigan's 15 public universities lost over 5,000 students in fall 2026, according to preliminary enrollment data. Only three institutions avoided year-over-year declines.
Lake Superior State University experienced the steepest percentage drop, with enrollment falling 14.4% to 1,232 students. Michigan State University saw the largest absolute loss, shedding 897 students in a 1.7% decline.
The University of Michigan gained 693 students, a 1.3% increase. UM-Flint added 139 students, or about 2%. Wayne State's enrollment held nearly flat, with a gain of 14 students.
The fall 2026 losses erase recent progress. Michigan's public universities had boosted overall enrollment 1.1% from fall 2022 to fall 2025, rising from 256,396 to 259,330 students. The current decline is poised to wipe out those gains.
The decade-long trend has been downward. Fall enrollment fell 12.6% from 2017 to 2026, a loss of nearly 37,000 students, according to data from the Michigan Association of State Universities.
The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education forecasts the state's population of high school graduates will drop by a fifth from 2023 to 2041. This projection suggests enrollment pressures may worsen in coming years.