Students move into the University of Michigan's South Quad dormitory on Aug. 30, 2018. (MLive file photo)

For the seventh consecutive year, enrollment at Michigan's public universities has dropped slightly.

The collective headcount at the 15 institutions totaled 286,854 in fall 2018, down 3,884 or 1.4 percent compared to fall 2017.

Enrollment at Michigan's state universities peaked in fall 2011 at 301,919 students. It's declined since largely because of a shrinking number of college-age students in Michigan and across the country.

That demographic decline is expected to continue indefinitely: The number of Michigan babies born in 2017 was 18 percent below births in 2000, the birth year for many current college freshmen.

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This chart shows births starting in 1993, which is 18 years before the peak year of enrollment in Michigan's state universities. Most students starting college in fall 2018 were born around 2000.

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Shrinkage in high school graduating classes has increased competition among Michigan colleges.

But it also means schools are looking for other ways to boost or stabilize enrollment, including improving their retention rates; increasing recruitment in communities with low college-going rates; enrolling more international students, and serving more older adults.

Currently, about 60 percent of Michigan students enroll in college the fall after they graduate high school. That drops to 45 percent for students who qualify for the subsidized lunch program.

About 34 percent of Michigan adults age 25 to 34 have at least a bachelor's degree.

Below are some fast facts from the Michigan Association of State Universities' 2018 enrollment report.

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Fall 2018 enrollment by state university

First is an online database show the total headcount and freshman enrollment in fall 2018 for the 15 state universities: Michigan State, University of Michigan, Wayne State, Grand Valley, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Northern Michigan, Michigan Tech, Ferris State, Oakland, Saginaw Valley, Lake Superior, U-M Dearborn and U-M Flint.

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(Note: The numbers for Western Michigan University do not include its medical school or Cooley Law School, which are operated as private programs.)

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Total headcount down 5% since 2011

The total headcount in Michigan's public universities in fall 2018 hit a 17-year low.

Moreover, the decline of 3,884 state university students between fall 2017 and fall 2018 is the biggest one-year drop since enrollment peaked in fall 2011.

Below is a look at total headcount for the 15 public institutions for the past 10 years.

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Freshman enrollment up 1.5% from fall 2017

Freshman enrollment was one bright spot in the MASU's 2018 report: The 15 state universities collected enrolled 41,452 first-time freshman in fall 2018, up 1.5 percent from 40,851 in fall 2017.

In all, seven of the 15 institutions saw an increase in freshman enrollment between 2017 and 2018: Michigan State, Wayne State, Grand Valley, Northern Michigan, Oakland, Saginaw Valley and Lake Superior. (The exact numbers are included in the online database above.)

The chart below compares freshman enrollment in fall 2011 -- the peak year of enrollment overall -- to fall 2018.

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Among Michigan's public universities, freshman enrollment was up 3 percent in fall 2018 compared to fall 2011, the peak year of total enrollment, which has fallen since.

By school, the change in freshman enrollment between 2011 and 2018 ranged from a 26 percent increase at Wayne State to a 29 percent decrease at Central Michigan.

Undergraduate enrollment down 1.4% from fall 2017

Michigan's 15 state universities enrolled 222,279 undergraduates in fall 2018.

That's down 1.4 percent from the 225,801 in fall 2017 and down 5.2 percent from 234,802 in fall 2011.

The chart below shows the numbers for 2011 and 2018 for each of the 15 universities. University of Michigan had the biggest increase in undergraduate enrollment -- 11 percent. Central Michigan had the biggest decrease -- 23 percent.

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Graduate enrollment down 1.3% from fall 2017

The 15 universities enrolled 64,125 graduate students in fall 2018, (About 57 percent were enrolled at three schools: University of Michigan, Michigan State and Wayne State.)

Graduate enrolled was down 1.3 percent from fall 2017 and 5.2 percent from fall 2011, the year of peak enrollment in Michigan's state universities.

Below is a chart comparing graduate enrollment in fall 2011 to fall 2018 by institution.

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A look at 2018-19 tuition

The 2018-19 tuition and fees for full-time, in-state freshman ranged from $10,308 at Saginaw Valley to $15,646 at Michigan Tech. (Click here to see the MASU's full report on tuition.)

By comparison, in-state freshman tuition and fees in 2011-12 ranged from $7,815 at SVSU to $12,583 at Michigan Tech.

Below is a look a in-state freshman tuition and fees by institution.

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