Flagships Are Enrolling More and More Freshmen From Out of State

The proportion of in-state freshman enrollment has been seen as a declining trend over the past two decades, particularly evident in public flagship universities. Institutions that prioritize a higher proportion of out-of-state students may gain increased tuition revenue, but this comes at the expense of losing in-state support in the long term. While 75% of colleges still admit a majority of in-state freshmen, a dozen have shifted their enrollment trends. Hence, the variation in enrollment of in-state and out of state freshmen in different flagship universities highlights variable enrollment strategies across institutions.