Enrollment Trends & Topics

Enrollment Trends (including by Major)

APIR compiles annual enrollment trend data disaggregated by several topics for the annual Data Digest. Enrollment trends are available between pages 1-17 of the Data Digest, and work files for individual pages are available via the Data Digest web page.

Enrollment trends are available on the following topics: student level, gender, race/ethnicity, full-time/part-time status, tuition residency, and age.

An interactive Tableau visualization of enrollments, including enrollments by department, major, and certificate, is available here:

Enrollment by Course

• 100 Courses with the Largest Enrollments in 2019-20
• 100 Courses with the Largest Enrollments in 2018-19
• 100 Courses with the Largest Enrollments in 2017-18
• 100 Courses with the Largest Enrollments in 2016-17
• 100 Courses with the Largest Enrollments in 2015-16
• 100 Courses with the Largest Enrollments in 2014-15
• 100 Courses with the Largest Enrollments in 2013-14
• 100 Courses with the Largest Enrollments in 2012-13
• 100 Courses with the Largest Enrollments in 2011-12
• 100 Courses with the Largest Enrollments in 2010-11

Special Topics Related to Enrollment

APIR completes analyses related to course size, course and term outcomes, trends of enrollments in courses and majors, and assists with analysis for enrollment planning and forecasting.  For term-specific enrollments, please see the Registrar’s Enrollment Reports from the Office of the Registrar.

• Enrollment of student veterans, August 2016
• 2014 Analysis of Undergraduate Course Access and “Bottlenecks”
• Issues related to Undergraduate Withdrawal from UW-Madison, October 2010
• A First Look at First-Generation College Students at UW-Madison, February 2008

Advising-Related Analyses

Academic advising issues, including the assignment of advisors, advisor load, and institutional advising strategy, are related to institutional outcomes like retention/graduation, progress to degree, selection and sequencing of courses, and major selection. APIR provides analyses of these advising-related topics because of their connection to institutional strategic initiatives and goals and works closely with the Office of Undergraduate Advising and advising leadership groups.

• Persistence in Intended Majors for Recent Graduates (September 2017)
• Post SOAR Course and Credit Changes (April 2014)
• The Association Between First Semester Academic Load and First Semester GPA (March 2010)
• Advising Issues Analysis  (June 2009)

General Education Analyses

APIR is a member of the campus-wide Undergraduate General Education Committee (UGEC) that reports to the University Academic Planning Council. UGEC conducts assessment activities related to student learning in the five general education competency requirements (Communications A and B, Quantitative Reasoning A and B, Ethnic Studies). APIR works with the UGEC to analyze patterns and trends in how students progress through these general education competencies.

• Ethnic Studies Coursetaking Patterns (2021)
• Enrollment Trends in QRB Courses
• Ethnic Studies Coursetaking Patterns (2017)
• Quantitative Reasoning Course Combinations (September 2015)
• General Education Curricular Trends (April 2015)
• English as a Second Language Instruction (November 2013)
  
• Ethnic Studies Satisfaction (March 2011)
• Comm A and Comm B Satisfaction (May 2010)