Massachusetts Public Colleges Enroll 176,231 Undergraduates in Fall 2026, Up 2.3% and Above Pre-Pandemic Level
Preliminary fall 2026 estimates from the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education put undergraduate enrollment at the state's public colleges and universities at 176,231 students, an increase of 2.3% over fall 2025. The total has now exceeded the fall 2019 pre-pandemic level of 172,568. The figures were presented at the October 20 meeting of the state Board of Higher Education.
Community colleges account for most of the growth. Their enrollment reached an estimated 89,707 students, up 3,575 students, or 4.2%, from fall 2025, representing about half of all public undergraduate enrollment in the state.
State universities also grew. Undergraduate enrollment there rose to an estimated 32,345 students, up 699, or 2.2%, from the previous fall. The state universities enrolled an estimated 2,882 new transfer students, an increase of 411, or 16.6%, the sharpest rise among the segments.
Undergraduate enrollment across the four University of Massachusetts campuses was an estimated 54,179 students, a decrease of 0.6% from fall 2025. The department described the UMass segment as continuing a trend of stabilization after years of steady growth.
The presentation also updated student success measures. The Board set targets in June 2023 for five student success metrics, to be achieved by 2033. The latest six-year completion rates reflect students who entered in fall 2019, measured through June 2025, and the department said continued investment is needed to sustain and accelerate progress in student success.
Source: Massachusetts Department of Higher Education
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：University of Massachusetts Amherst 校园航拍。作者：Quintin Soloviev，CC BY 4.0，维基共享资源。 / Photo: Aerial view of the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus. Credit: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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