Enrollment at the University of Nebraska for this year remains similar to enrollment numbers during the 2024-2025 academic year, according to data collected on the 6th day of classes.
According to the data, collected annually as part of the university’s six-day census, enrollment across the system’s four campuses and the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture in Curtis was 49,638, compared to 49,749 students at the same time in 2024, a difference of 111 students or 0.2%.
This was despite a national decrease in international students, with international enrollment across the institution decreasing by 174 students from 2024. Graduate student enrollment was also down by 238 students. A bump in enrollment of first-time freshmen and health profession students across the system helped offset this decrease. Overall, enrollment of first-time freshmen was up 84 across the university’s Omaha, Lincoln and Kearney campuses, and the number of students at UNMC grew from 4,703 students to 4,818.
Student credit hours are also up across the University of Nebraska, from 604,488 in 2024, to 606,316 in 2025 indicating enhanced student retention. The Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture also saw an increase in students, driven in part by a new online veterinary technician program.
“These enrollment numbers show that we are subject to the national trends but continue to serve Nebraskans well,” said NU President Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D. “Growth in first-time freshmen and the increase in total credit hours are encouraging signs that more students are choosing Nebraska to launch their educational journey, and that they are making even more steady progress toward their degrees. I’m proud, too, of the continued growth in UNMC health profession enrollment, which reflects a steady, more than 25-year trajectory. That growth is vital to meeting the health care needs of communities across Nebraska, today and well into the future.”
But while the numbers show important progress, they also highlight challenges ahead, said Dr. Gold.
“Like institutions nationwide, we continue to face headwinds with graduate and international enrollment, and there is important work ahead to ensure that we continue to grow enrollment, support workforce demands across a wide range of Nebraska industries, and fuel the future of our state,” he said.
Details on the University of Nebraska’s fall 2025 enrollment are below.
System-wide enrollment totals
University of Nebraska System total headcount: 49,638 (0.2% decrease)
First-time freshmen: 7,826 (1.3% increase)
Undergraduate students: 36,466 (0.1% increase)
Graduate students: 9,509 (2.4% decrease)
Professional students: 3,663 (3% increase)
Resident students: 37,955 (0.1% increase)
Nonresident students: 11,683 (1.4% decrease)
Full-time student enrollment: 40,238 (0.2% increase)
Student credit hours: 606,316 (0.3% increase)
Campus enrollment totals
University of Nebraska–Lincoln: 23,952 (0.2% decrease)
University of Nebraska at Omaha: 14,954 (0.1% decrease)
University of Nebraska at Kearney: 5,699 (3.1% decrease)
University of Nebraska Medical Center: 4,818 (2.4% increase)
Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture: 213 (6% increase)