Central earns formal commendation from NECHE following ‘remarkable’ enrollment turnaround

The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) has formally accepted Central's 2026 Progress Report, issuing an enthusiastic commendation for the university’s historic, six-semester streak of enrollment growth. 

In a letter addressed to Central President Dr. Zulma R. Toro, NECHE Commission Chair Michaele Whelan praised the university’s “remarkable success” and officially confirmed Central’s upcoming Fall 2028 comprehensive evaluation. The commission’s decision validates the aggressive, data-driven recruitment and retention strategies that have transformed Connecticut’s first publicly funded institution into a premier model for regional enrollment recovery. 

Six consecutive semesters of exceeded goals

Faced with a post-pandemic enrollment low of 9,468 students in Fall 2022, President Toro established a dedicated, president-led committee focused sharply on enrollment and student success. 

“This commendation proves that when you prioritize student success, institutional growth naturally follows," said President Toro.

The resulting efforts triggered an unprecedented turnaround. Central has met or exceeded its institutional enrollment goals for six consecutive semesters from Spring 2023 through Fall 2025. 

Key milestones cited by the commission at its April meeting and university data include:

• Surging student population: Total headcount skyrocketed to 11,265 students in Fall 2025 — marking a 12.7% single-year spike from 2024 and a massive 18.0% cumulative increase since Fall 2022.
• Outperforming projections: In Fall 2025 alone, Central beat its target for full-time student headcount by 6.2% and outpaced its part-time credit hour target by 6.6%.
• Booming First-Year cohorts: The incoming class of matriculated first-year students grew by an astonishing 40% between Fall 2023 and Fall 2025. 

A blueprint for student success

The regional accreditor highlighted Central’s “thorough and well-written” report, drawing specific attention to the campus-wide infrastructure built to support students. Over the last three years, Central modernized its admissions and retention framework by deploying a sophisticated new CRM system (SLATE) to unify student communication and accelerate application turnaround times. 

Additionally, the university scaled up marketing and communications personnel, expanded vital academic support services like tutoring and mental health counseling, and introduced progressive community support initiatives, such as a free drop-in childcare center for student-parents. 

Central's intentional outreach to local communities has also proved highly lucrative. By expanding its Dual and Concurrent Enrollment programs from 15 high school partnerships in AY2024 to 28 in AY2025, Central successfully welcomed 1,011 high school students into its academic pipeline by Fall 2025. 

Financial stability for Connecticut’s future

This enrollment boom directly reinforces Central’s long-term financial health. The university’s enrollment targets are designed to outpace the minimum thresholds required by its Five-Year Financial Sustainability Plan. With total assets reaching $565.2 million and a reassuring 233 days of cash on hand in FY2025, Central stands on exceptionally strong financial footing. 

Furthermore, Central continues to serve as an indispensable economic engine for the region. As the only state university in the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system offering engineering programs, Central’s active alumni network now exceeds 100,000 individuals, nearly 80% of whom choose to live, work, and invest right back into the state of Connecticut.

“This formal recognition from NECHE belongs to the entire Central community,” said Toro. “Our faculty, staff, and leadership refused to accept nationwide enrollment declines as our destiny. Instead, we re-engineered how we recruit, how we use technology, and how we care for our students.”

In January of 2026, Central submitted to NECHE an 81-page progress report to provide a recap of developments and strategies related to achieving the university’s enrollment goals. This was in response to issues raised by the commission in its letter from March 2024.

The commission did not assign any new items for Central to report on in 2028.