Keene State has seen a drop in enrollment over the last decade, with The Keene Sentinel reporting that from 2015 to 2026 the student population decreased from 5,000 to 2,800. With the noticeable drop in enrollment numbers, Keene State has taken a different approach to marketing, relying primarily on the three-school model to show students the different majors available at the college going into the fall.
Despite the drop in overall enrollment, enrollment in majors that would fall under the School of Applied Sciences and Technology has increased, rising from 224 in 2022 up to 361 in 2026.
Sarah Russell, director of admissions, said demographic changes are the largest cause for the drop in enrollment.
“There has been what’s called a demographic cliff,” Russell said. “Fewer people are being born, fewer people are graduating high school and then those who are graduating high school are at a crossroads on if they want to go and pursue a four-year education at a college or look at trade school options for more of a short-term pathway.”
Russell added that having a student population of around 3,000 to 3,500 students is the current goal and would be sustainable for the college.
“We’re just shy of that,” Russell said. “We are looking to increase enrollment to get there. We want to make sure that we continue to bring in students who have a passion for learning, understand the foundation of who Keene State is and are excited about the program opportunities that align with their career.”
Russell addressed the budget cuts, saying the budget restraints limit the resources that admissions can turn to. Despite this, she reinforced that marketing has pushed forward with trying to increase enrollment.
“I’m really excited on where we’re heading,” Russell said. “Marketing has the tools that they need to showcase our liberal arts education, but also focus on the workforce that will become available to these students, and I think that’s really exciting. We are different in that way. Our opportunities here on campus–in the classroom–really lay the foundation for who students can become.”
Nathalie Houder, executive vice president of finance and administration at Keene State College and Plymouth State University, emphasized the wide-ranging effects of the demographic change.
“One of them is the demographic decline, in N.H., especially and New England, we have less 18-year-olds,” Houder said. “Demographic decline of who’s available to go to college for the traditional college students. We also have a body of potential students who are no longer going to college. That’s happening with all of higher ed, not just Keene State.”
Houder added that community colleges are a large factor as well in the decrease in student enrollment from out-of-state students–mostly Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts–who have free access to community college available to them.
“That change has really hit us,” Houder said. “We’ve seen a decline in Connecticut and Massachusetts students. They want to come to Keene State. They’ve told us that Keene State is the school they want to choose, but it’s difficult for them, for the parents assisting with the decision, and some of that is economic or financial. How can you walk away from a free college education when you’re struggling to pay the bill?”
Houder said the marketing team has begun to change tactics, taking the three-school model into account moving forward.
“As we move forward, we have more marketing,” Houder said. “We can’t just market ourselves as the liberal arts college of New Hampshire. We need to have a clear understanding of what a liberal arts college can provide to you.”
Chloe Erno can be contacted at
