KU Edwards Campus enrollment up more than 12% for fall 2020

Enrollment at KU’s Edwards Campus (KUEC) in Overland Park continues to rise, with a reported 12.1% increase in student credit hours for KUEC-administered programs compared to fall 2019 – up 39.5% over the past four years. This makes the total student credits hours for fall 2020 the highest fall enrollment in more than 10 years.

“Throughout the trials of 2020, we have been thrilled to be able to continue an upward trajectory of education provided to the Kansas City area and beyond as we support our amazing students in achieving their goals,” said Stuart Day, dean of the KU Edwards Campus and School of Professional Studies.

Fall 2020 showed the largest growth in KUEC’s longstanding programs including:

• Professional Science Masters and certificates in environmental assessment and environmental geology: up 68%
• Bachelor’s in social work: up 60.4%​
• Bachelor’s in law and society: up 59.3%​
• Bachelor’s in psychology: up 49.4%
• Bachelor’s in molecular biosciences: up 27%
• Master’s in public administration: up 16.4%

Undergraduate programs showed significant growth for fall 2020 with a 16.5% overall increase in student credit hours. Graduate programs also saw an increase this semester with those supported by the Johnson County Education Research Tax (JCERT) increasing 18.5%. The online master’s in applied statistics and analytics program increased 21.5%. Both the homeland security and organizational leadership master’s programs at KU in Leavenworth experienced double-digit student credit hour growth at 23% and 57.1% respectively.

This fall welcomed the first class in the new KU School of Professional Studies, based at KUEC. Dedicated to serving the needs of transfer and nontraditional students, the School of Professional Studies facilitates social mobility and equity by providing high-quality academic programs, research activities and engaged learning initiatives. In fall 2020, School of Professional Studies programs that saw the largest enrollment growth include the American Sign Language & Deaf Studies undergraduate programs, the bachelor’s in biotechnology, professional workplace communications graduate programs and the online master’s in project management.

The KU Edwards Campus has been a KU presence in Kansas City for nearly 30 years. The campus serves more than 2,000 nontraditional and transfer students with flexible, career-focused education, including in-person, online and hybrid course options. Nearly all of KUEC’s students have jobs and almost 40 percent work full-time; more than 70 percent are over the age of 25; more than one-third are parents of children under 18; 25% are first generation college students; and more than a quarter self-report as a member of a minority group. KUEC’s MetroKC rate provides in-state-equivalent tuition rates to all students across the metro, and its innovative transfer pathways offer high school and community college students in the area streamlined access to a four-year degree.

“The Edwards Campus is a KU answer to the unique workforce needs of Kansas City and part of a strong, globally recognized network of KU campuses,” Day said. “We proudly serve our diverse student base through a commitment to collaboration, inclusion, professionalism and innovation.”