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University enrolment to fall below 900,000 in 2024
The Ministry of Education is warning that university enrolments next year could fall below 900,000 next year due to the continued effects of low birth rates.
The ministry says number of incoming first-year students at universities had been falling steadily since 2012, when around 278,000 people began their collegiate studies.
That downward trend sharpened after 2016, when 241,000 students entered college, and was expected to drop to 191,000 by the start of the 2023 school year, which is down by around 30% from 2012.
Education officials say the number of incoming university students is forecast to shrink by about 3,400, or 1.9% per year for the near future, and ultimately drop below 150,000 by 2038.
The Ministry of the Interior says data shows the declining college enrolment figures is related to a broader decline in the country's population, which fell to 23.264 million in 2022, or down by some 0.47% from a year earlier.
