Figures released Sept. 20 by the South Dakota Board of Regents show 12,107 students are enrolled at South Dakota State University for the 2018-19 academic year.

The total is down from last year’s enrollment of 12,527 but marks the 10th consecutive year SDSU has had an enrollment of over 12,000 students.

But this is down 3.3 percent from last year’s enrollment of 12,527.

“While we anticipated a decline, this change was greater than anticipated,” President Barry Dunn said in an email to faculty and staff.

Dunn said this will have an impact of the 2019 fiscal year budget and is estimating a 1.1 percent decrease in the university’s overall budgeted revenues.

The enrollment decline was due to a decrease of international and transfer students, as Dunn explained to Students’ Association on Sept. 17. According to the BOR, 48 percent of the decline was due to the lack of international and transfer student enrollment.

First-time freshmen dropped 92 students from last year to 2,181, but still within range of the university’s strategic target of 2,200 first-time freshmen each year.

“As we move into future, we have just recently developed an enrollment plan that provides a direction of enrollment growth through effective student recruitment, retention and success initiatives consistent with Imagine 2023,” Dunn said in the email.

With Imagine 2023, SDSU ’s five-year strategic plan, Dunn said parts of the plan have been implemented through a comprehensive search strategy to expand the university’s recruiting footprint. This plan will especially target transfer and international students.

Dunn also introduced “Pathway to Premier,” a development of an efficiency blueprint and budget plan that complements Imagine 2023.

Overall, fall enrollment at South Dakota’s six public universities is down about 2 percent in full-time equivalent students, said the BOR.

The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) students for the Fall 2018 term—based on total credit hours generated by all students within the regents’ system—was down by 540.8 students to a total of 26,092.9. Total headcount at the six public universities was 35,737, a decline of 2.5 percent or 925 students over last year, said the BOR.

With the new challenges ahead, Dunn asked faculty and staff to “work together in a culture that encourages and supports collaboration, sustainability, creativity and bold ideas in the spirit of our Imagine 2023 core values.”