Waukesha Times

Waukesha County's five universities admitted an estimated 72.3% of applicants for fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those who were admitted, 20.8% enrolled.

Of the five institutions in the county, two provided detailed enrollment data at the time, including Carroll University and Herzing University-Brookfield.

At least 4,789 people applied to Waukesha County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.

NCES data shows that among them, around 11,069 students enrolled in the universities, including 10,494 in undergraduate and 575 in graduate programs. Only 2.8% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.

The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of white (69%) and Hispanic (10.4%) students.

Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, Waukesha County Technical College stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 7,268 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.

NCES shows that enrollment data was not available for Nashotah House in Waukesha County.

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
Nashotah House	--	--	--
Waukesha County Technical College	--	--	7,268
Carroll University	4,728	3,404	3,283
Ottawa University-Milwaukee	--	--	124
Herzing University-Brookfield	61	58	394