Our Lady of the Lake University is starting the 2026-27 academic year with the lowest total student enrollment yet after losing nearly 12% of students since fall 2025.<\/p>\n
A total of 1,550 students are reportedly attending the university this fall, down from 1,756 total students enrolled at the same time last year, according to the university.<\/p>\n
But the decrease is even more pronounced when looking back at the last five years, as the university lost 44% of its overall enrollment since fall 2020, when OLLU reported having 2,771 students enrolled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
An enrollment decrease for any institution typically translates into revenue loss.<\/p>\n
Between the fiscal years ending May 2021 and May 2025, Our Lady of the Lake lost more than $14.7 million in tuition and fees revenue, according to the university\u2019s tax documents. But university officials point to a new strategic plan and a leadership role intended to help redirect enrollment efforts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this very crowded and saturated higher-education marketplace, which is a fact, we have to own who we are,\u201d OLLU President Abel Ch\u00e1vez said when asked about this latest decrease. \u201cIf we own who we are\u2026 and we say, \u2018This is who we are. This is how we do and how we care for students,\u2019 we will be alright.\u201d<\/p>\n
This week, OLLU hosted the 40th anniversary of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, which focused on the impact and role of Hispanic Serving Institutions \u2014 a designation that was birthed on OLLU\u2019s campus and now includes 645 institutions across the country<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe work is far from over,\u201d Ch\u00e1vez said following that event, declining to say whether he was worried about continued enrollment declines. \u201cWe have to continue to tell our stories. We have to continue to say yes. We have to continue to push and pull.\u201d<\/p>\n Last year, OLLU cut 15 academic programs that they deemed economically unviable for the future of the university. The cuts were the result of a two-year evaluation of all programs, and it resulted in the loss of faculty members linked to those programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Teresa Ni\u00f1o, OLLU\u2019s vice president for marketing and communications, said the university is looking ahead. She pointed to the hiring of Shobi Sivadasan as the new vice president for enrollment and revenue as a reason to \u201cdisqualify any suspicion that we\u2019re closing down.\u201d<\/p>\n Sivadasan joined the university full-time in July after working as an enrollment consultant there since May. She arrived at OLLU with a three-year vision and strategic plan to stop enrollment declines.<\/p>\n