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University of Montana President Royce Engstrom gets an update on enrollment at least once a week – and his vice president for enrollment reviews the data "continually," according to a campus spokeswoman.

Enrollment has been a critical issue at UM since the decline of some 20 percent on the main campus since 2010 and ensuing budget cuts – an estimated $12 million last year.

However, a little more than two weeks before school starts, UM is not releasing projected enrollment. It also is not providing other metrics that could shed light on the numbers of students planning to head to UM this fall, such as freshmen registration figures for orientation.

"It is the policy of the university that enrollment data is shared after the 15th instructional day," said the spokeswoman, communications director Paula Short, in an email this week. "That is when the figures are truly representative of our enrollment numbers.

"Until then, there are many variables that can significantly impact the enrollment count, making it necessary to wait and therefore ensure accuracy."

Montana State University also isn't providing enrollment projections at this time. MSU spokesman Tracy Ellig said numbers will not be released until they are finalized – sometime after the 15th day of classes.