DU Restructures as Enrollment Falls 19 Percent From Pandemic Peak

By Nicole C. Brambila | The Denver Gazette

Odifure Udegbe walked the stage Friday to chorus of whoops and hollers as he received his Master’s in Science degree from the University of Denver.

Originally from Nigeria, Udegbe said he enrolled at DU to make himself more competitive in a tough job market.

“I think whoever is going to take a chance on me has everything to win,” Udegbe said.

The new grad was among the more than 3,400 undergrad and graduate students who accepted their diplomas last weekend at DU — marking what Provost Elizabeth Loboa called the end of the university’s pandemic-era enrollment boom.

Peaking at 14,130 students in the fall of 2021, DU enrollment has declined for four consecutive years, falling to 11,499 students in 2025, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. The drop effectively erased all the enrollment gains during a growth surge that began before the pandemic and accelerated through 2021.

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