Ann Arbor Times

Washtenaw County's five universities admitted an estimated 31.2% of applicants for fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those who were admitted, 28.7% enrolled.

Of the five institutions in the county, three provided detailed enrollment data at the time, including University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Eastern Michigan University and Concordia University Ann Arbor.

At least 106,170 people applied to Washtenaw County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.

NCES data shows that among them, around 77,100 students enrolled in the universities, including 55,917 in undergraduate and 21,183 in graduate programs. Only 3.6% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.

The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of white (54.7%) and Asian (12.1%) students.

Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 51,225 students.

U.S. college enrollment has been in a downward trend since peaking at around 18.1 million students in 2010. Recent increases offered some relief, but experts project a steeper decline in 2025.

This decline is likely due to two main factors. First, the pool of young adults is shrinking as birth rates have fallen nearly 23% between 2007 and 2022. Second, the rising cost of higher education, including skyrocketing student loan debt. A 2023 Wall Street Journal report shows that more than half of Americans think a four-year degree is not worth the cost.

Some educational data is based on estimates. Shifting demographics among student populations can sometimes result in gender totals which do not equal 100%.

Institution	# of Applicants	# of Admitted Students	Total Enrollment
Eastern Michigan University	19,919	16,533	14,018
Ross Medical Education Center-Ann Arbor	--	--	32
Concordia University Ann Arbor	1,962	1,373	1,203
Washtenaw Community College	--	--	10,622
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	84,289	15,172	51,225