Corpus Christi Sun

Nueces County's five universities admitted an estimated 88% of applicants for fall 2022, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Of those who were admitted, 26% enrolled.

Of the five institutions in the county, Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi was the only one that provided detailed enrollment data at the time.

At least 8,421 people applied to Nueces County colleges in the 2022-23 school year.

NCES data shows that among them, around 21,311 students enrolled in the universities, including 18,357 in undergraduate and 2,954 in graduate programs. Only 4.2% of undergraduates transferred from another college or university.

The reported undergraduate student body is comprised mostly of Hispanic (62.7%) and white (26.5%) students.

Among the institutions that provided disclosed enrollment data, Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi stood out with the largest enrollment at the time, welcoming 10,778 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
Miller-Motte College-STVT-Corpus Christi	--	--	320
Del Mar College	--	--	9,725
Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi	8,421	7,410	10,778
South Texas Barber College Inc	--	--	18
Southern Careers Institute-Corpus Christi	--	--	470