85.4% of college applicants to St. Louis city’s 10 universities were admitted for fall 2022

St. Louis city’s 10 universities admitted an estimated 85.4% of applicants for fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those who were admitted, 15% enrolled.

Of the 10 institutions in the county, three provided detailed enrollment data at the time, including University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis, Saint Louis University and Stevens-The Institute of Business & Arts.

At least 13,755 people applied to St. Louis city colleges in the 2022-23 school year.

NCES data shows that among them, around 20,085 students enrolled in the universities, including 14,483 in undergraduate and 5,602 in graduate programs. Only 4.7% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.

The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of white (49.1%) and students of unknown ethinicity (17.4%).

Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, Saint Louis University stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 15,755 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 two institutions in St. Louis city, including Ponce Health Sciences University-St Louis and Aquinas Institute of Theology.

Some educational data is based on estimates. Shifting demographics among student populations can sometimes result in gender totals which do not equal 100%.