Enrollment at Utah public colleges virtually flat

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Enrollment at Utah’s public colleges is virtually flat from a year ago, with a drop of less than one half of one percent from fall 2011.

A headcount from the third week of the fall semester shows the equivalent 110,780 full-time students in the state’s eight public colleges. Four of the schools grew, while four got smaller.

Higher education commissioner Dave Buhler says a few factors may be at play. He says that after years of record enrollment growth and state budget cuts, some of the schools are at capacity and students are having trouble getting the classes they need.

Buhler says some schools have raised their admission standards, and say that some potential students have returned to the workforce as the economy recovers.

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