Springfield Standard

Polk County's two universities admitted a total of 100% of applicants for fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those who were admitted, 32.9% enrolled.

All two institutions in the county provided detailed enrollment data at the time.

At least 893 people applied to Polk County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.

NCES data shows that among them, around 2,516 students enrolled in the universities, including 1,966 in undergraduate and 550 in graduate programs. In total 8.9% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.

The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of white (69.5%) and students of unknown ethinicity (17.8%).

Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, Southwest Baptist University stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 2,386 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.

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

Institution	# of Applicants	# of Admitted Students	Total Enrollment
Bolivar Technical College	12	12	130
Southwest Baptist University	881	881	2,386