Enrollment drops at Ga. colleges, halting trend

ATLANTA (AP) State education officials say fewer students than last year are attending college within the University System of Georgia this fall.

The enrollment figures were released Wednesday.

The system is teaching 314,365 students, a decline of 1.2 percent.

Of the system's 35 colleges, 19 are teaching fewer students. The largest declines are at two-year colleges and those that emphasize associate degree programs.

This is the third time since 1978 that enrollment dropped. It puts an end to more than a decade of record-setting enrollment growth.

State education officials have said the decline was expected since the pace of growth has slowed in recent years.