Executive Enrollment Snapshot
University-wide headcount, trend lines, and critical performance indicators — Fall 2020 through Fall 2024
Critical Enrollment Decline — 4-Year Trajectory
Total enrollment has declined 30% from 5,847 (Fall 2020) to 4,112 (Fall 2024). While new student recruitment shows recovery (+11% in 2024), continuing student attrition remains the primary driver of decline — losing 12% of continuing students in 2024 alone, the worst single-year drop on record.
Total Enrollment Trend — Fall 2020 to Fall 2024
| Semester | Total Enrollment | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2020 | 5,847 | — |
| Fall 2021 | 4,368 | –613 (–12.3%) |
| Fall 2022 | 4,186 | –182 (–4.2%) |
| Fall 2023 | 3,905 | –281 (–6.7%) |
| Fall 2024 | 4,112 | –318 (–7.2%) |
Enrollment by Student Level
New vs. Continuing Students
College & Program Health
Enrollment performance by college (COB, COEHP, CLASS, CNAS) and program-level trends, Fall 2020–2024
CNAS is the Only College Showing Growth
College of Natural & Applied Science is up 15% for UG and 20% for GR since 2020. All other colleges are declining — COB and CLASS have lost over 50% of graduate enrollment from 2020 levels.
Undergraduate Enrollment by College
Graduate Enrollment by College
| College | UG 2020 | UG 2024 | UG Change | GR 2020 | GR 2024 | GR Change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of Business (COB) | 1,119 | 723 | –35% | 798 | 377 | –53% | ⬇ Severe decline |
| Education & Health Prof (COEHP) | 613 | 470 | –23% | 367 | 300 | –18% | ⬇ Moderate decline |
| Liberal Arts & Social Sci (CLASS) | 1,713 | 804 | –53% | 225 | 156 | –31% | ⬇ Severe decline |
| Natural & Applied Science (CNAS) | 467* | 538 | +15% | 99* | 119 | +20% | ⬆ Growing |
*CNAS data first reported starting Fall 2022; relative change calculated from first available year.
Largest UG Programs — Fall 2023
Program Growth / Decline (2020→2023)
| Program | 2020 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology (CLASS) | 328 | 279 | –15% |
| Accounting (COB) | 261 | 194 | –23% |
| Kinesiology (COEHP) | 167 | 153 | –8% |
| Computer Science (CNAS) | 143 | 128 | –10% |
| Criminal Justice (CLASS) | 162 | 108 | –33% |
| Bus Admin–Gen (COB) | 155 | 1 | –99% |
| Gen Bus–Entrepreneurship | 2 | 43 | +2,050% |
| Digital Gaming & Sim | 39 | 68 | +74% |
| Univ Studies BS | 24 | 66 | +175% |
| Educ: Early Childhood | 63 | 152 | +141% |
Annual Graduate Degrees Awarded by College
Retention & Graduation
Cohort-based tracking of FTIC and Transfer students from entry through 5 years — the university's most critical vulnerability
FTIC Retention Is Critically Low — Only 22% Graduate in 5 Years
Of the 412 full-time FTIC students who enrolled in Fall 2017, only 86 had graduated by Year 5 (Fall 2022). The 1-year retention rate was 61%, meaning 39% of freshmen did not return for sophomore year. Nationally, regional universities average 65-75% first-year retention.
FTIC Cohort Funnel — Fall 2017 (Full-Time)
Transfer Cohort Funnel — Fall 2017 (Full-Time)
5-Year Graduation Rate by College
Graduate 2-Year Retention by College
Annual Degrees Awarded (Bachelor's + Master's)
Recruitment Funnel
Applications → Admits → Enrolled conversion rates by student type, Fall 2020–2024
2024 Recruitment Showing Real Recovery
FTIC enrollments up 37.4% from 2023, attributed to J.A.G. Promise scholarships and full Admissions Counselor staffing. Overall new student enrollment is up 11% year-over-year. However, admit-to-enroll conversion rates remain low — FTIC conversion dropped to 12% in 2023 before recovering to ~13% in 2024.
FTIC Recruitment Funnel — 5 Year
Transfer Recruitment Funnel — 5 Year
| Student Type | Fall 2020 Apps | F2020 Enrolled | F2020 Conv % | Fall 2023 Apps | F2023 Enrolled | F2023 Conv % | Fall 2024 Enrolled | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FTIC | 3,264 | 407 | 12.5% | 2,982 | 174 | 5.8% | 239 | +37.4% |
| Transfer | 1,419 | 594 | 41.9% | 1,035 | 456 | 44.1% | 447 | –2.0% |
| Graduate | 762 | 314 | 41.2% | 821 | 266 | 32.4% | 271 | +1.9% |
| Dual Credit | 121 | – | – | 62 | 41 | 66.1% | 83 | +102% |
International Student Enrollment
Graduate Enrollment Funnel
New Undergraduate Enrollments by College
Financial Sustainability
Class size, cost structure, faculty workload, and program viability — Source: FuturEDFinance Academic Review, October 2024
Current Cost Structure Requires 30-Student Average Class — CSU Averages 20
The university needs to reach an average class size of 25 to achieve financial sustainability. Currently averaging 20. This gap is driven by too many low-enrolled degree concentrations (73% of graduate concentrations graduate 10 or fewer students per year) and a faculty headcount that has not been reduced to match declining enrollment.
Graduate Average Class Size Trend
Undergraduate Average Class Size Trend
| College | FTE Students | FT Instructors | Student:Faculty Ratio | Gap to Ratio of 26 | % Credits by FT | % Credits by PT | Avg Class Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of Business | 704 | 32 | 22:1 | –4.9 below target | 77% | 23% | 21 |
| Education & Health Prof | 603 | 25 | 24:1 | –1.8 below target | 53% | 47% | 14 |
| Liberal Arts & Social Sci | 952 | 36 | 26:1 | At target | 69% | 31% | 24 |
| Natural & Applied Science | 604 | 22 | 27:1 | Above target | 61% | 41% | 23 |
| Grand Total | 2,863 | 115 | 25:1 | – | 64% | 36% | 21 |
Understanding Formula Funding
How Funding Is Calculated
Semester Credit Hours × Funding Discipline Rate × Base Rate = Weighted SCH. Each college/discipline has a different weight multiplier assigned by the Texas Legislature.
Enrollment Decline = Direct Revenue Loss
Every student lost directly reduces state appropriations. A 27% enrollment decline since 2020 translates to a proportional reduction in formula funding, compounding the structural cost problem.
Higher-Weight Programs Matter
Engineering (1.76×), Nursing (1.55×), and Science (1.34×) generate more funding per SCH than Business (1.10×) or Liberal Arts (1.00×). Growth in CNAS is strategically valuable for funding.
Course Delivery Mix
Instruction mode comparison — Spring 2025 vs. Spring 2026, and delivery location trends 2019–2023
Major Shift in Delivery Mode Between Spring 2025 and Spring 2026
ITV (Interactive Television) courses dropped from 109 to 0 sections — likely tied to satellite campus exit planned for Summer 2026. HyFlex courses jumped from 8 to 53 sections (+563%), and Face-to-Face courses increased from 171 to 177. This signals a significant operational transition underway.
Courses by Instruction Mode
Spring 2026 Mode Distribution by College
Spring 2026
Spring 2025
Headcount by CSU Location — Fall 2023
Location Trend — Total Headcount
55% of Students Are Fully Online
2,111 of 3,784 students (Fall 2023) were enrolled fully online. This creates both opportunity (broader geographic reach) and risk (lower retention rates for online-only students).
Satellite Campus Exit — Summer 2026
The elimination of ITV courses (109 → 0) signals satellite campus wind-down. 145 students were enrolled at Satellite in Fall 2023. Retention of those students to the main campus or online delivery requires active management.
HyFlex Adoption Surging in 2026
HyFlex sections jumped from 8 to 53 — a 563% increase. This hybrid in-person/online model could help address student feedback about course availability while building toward a "destination university" in the local region.
Strategic Context & Qualitative Insights
Themes from staff perception surveys, student feedback, and the FuturEDFinance academic review — the human story behind the numbers
These Insights Come From Internal Stakeholders — Not External Benchmarks
The feedback below was collected from CSU staff, faculty, and administrators. It represents perceived causes of enrollment decline and student attrition. These perceptions align strongly with the quantitative data and should be treated as institutional intelligence.
Theme 1: Advising, Academic Support & Retention
Consistently cited as the #1 driver of student departure — systemic, not isolated
- Assign every student a primary advisor with required semester check-ins
- Launch degree progress dashboards showing courses completed, remaining, and expected graduation date
- Establish 48-hour advisor response standard
- Implement proactive early-alert system (peer model: a peer institution intrusive advising)
Theme 2: Course Availability & Program Relevance
Students leaving due to inability to complete degrees on time
73% of graduate concentrations graduate ≤10 students/year. 56 of 97 undergraduate concentrations have zero graduates in the past 3 years. These under-enrolled programs fragment faculty resources and reduce availability of high-demand courses.
Theme 3: Online Learning Quality
Students feel disconnected — "teaching themselves" with minimal engagement
- Weekly recorded lectures or instructional videos required in all online courses
- Instructor engagement multiple times per week
- Assignments graded within 48–72 hours
- Standardized Canvas course templates and syllabi
Theme 4: Financial Aid, Scholarships & Affordability
Losing students to competitors offering Promise scholarships and clearer aid timelines
Theme 5: Staffing, Turnover & Institutional Memory Loss
Critical operational roles were lost at the worst possible time
National & Regional Demographic Headwinds Are Real
CSU's challenges exist within a broader sector-wide enrollment plateau
This context is important: some enrollment decline at CSU is structural and national. However, the severity of CSU's decline — particularly in retention — exceeds what can be attributed to demographics alone. The internal data strongly suggests operational and experiential factors are amplifying the external headwind.
🔴 High Impact / Urgent
🟡 Medium Impact / Near-Term
🟢 Quick Wins / Operational
🔵 Strategic / Long-Term
Dashboard Prepared by SparkLine Data Solutions
This dashboard synthesizes publicly shared institutional reports prepared by or for Coastal State University leadership. It does not contain individual student data. All figures are sourced from documents dated Fall 2023 through Spring 2026. Prepared to support academic planning conversations.
Contact: sparklinedatasolutions.com