Healthy economy dents higher ed enrollments

​​​TYLER – A healthy economy is making a dent in local college enrollment numbers.

The University of Texas at Tyler (UT-Tyler) and Tyler Junior College (TJC)​ have released spring 2018 enrollment numbers.

TJC’s overall spring 2018 enrollment remained steady with 11,255 students.

That count represents a 1.5 percent decrease from the student-enrollment figures from spring 2017—which was a record-setting 7.3 percent year-over-year increase for the school.

Despite the decrease in enrollment, TJC’s enrollment has grown by 13 percent over the past five years. 

The University of Texas at Tyler saw a 4 percent year-over-year enrollment increase over spring 2017. 

That increase continues UT-Tyler’s streak of record enrollment—since the spring 2013 semester, the school has seen its enrollment grow from 6,581 students to 9,598 in spring 2018.

Tom Mullins, president of the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce, said an enrollment dip is a sign of a good economy.