Changing Demographics in Nebraska

UNK’s traditional student base has been Western Nebraska. This region continues to be the campus’ “homebase,” while at the same time UNK draws students from every county, 47 states, and 49 foreign countries. Adding to the region’s (and UNK’s) challenges, the population of Nebraska is rapidly moving east to the urban centers of Omaha and Lincoln. Directly affecting UNK, the number of high school seniors in the state is expected to decrease from 21,838 in 2002 to 19,785 in 2012, even as five new Class A high schools and a new Class B high school have been created in the urban centers while at the same time several Class A high schools in Western Nebraska have been converted to Class B schools.
As dramatic, in 2002 four percent of students were Hispanic, while in 2017, that percentage is projected to be 20 percent. Adding to the challenge for schools, while 6 percent of students were Hispanic in 2006, the same group accounted for 20 percent of dropouts.
Poverty Related to Demographics
Of the nation’s poorest 12 counties, Nebraska has 7 of them. One half of the state’s students (150,000) live in just 5 counties where the average per capita income is $15,000 to $22,000 over the national average. The other half live in the other 88 counties, where per capita income is $14,000 below the national average.
UNK continues to serve all of Nebraska, while remaining strongest in its home region. In fact, in spite of UNK’s smaller size (6,500 students) more college-bound seniors in the majority of counties choose the Kearney campus to earn their NU degree. UNK’s smaller size, strong faculty support, its emphasis on teaching, and the residential experience combine to enable UNK to achieve one of the highest student retention rates (81%) of its peer universities. UNK is rising to its most pressing challenges.