Port: Traditional higher education enrollment reports aren't cutting it

MINOT — North Dakota's public institutions of higher education seemingly have some good news this fall. Despite dire predictions that a new tuition entitlement in Minnesota would devastate enrollment numbers at our state's institutions, which count on very large numbers of Minnesotans, the student count is still going up.

We don't have finalized numbers for fall enrollment in 2025 yet, but the preliminary reports look promising. The University of North Dakota, as one example, is counting 15,440 students, up from 15,019 last year. Minot State University, meanwhile, is estimating a roughly 10% increase in enrollment.

If these increases are exemplary of trends across the state, they'll build on last year's growth. The North Dakota University System "reported a total headcount of 45,80