Director of Admissions Kristen Hatfield spoke to Twin Cities Business about recent increases in enrollment for higher education in Minnesota. Virginia-based National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC) released data showing that fall 2025 enrollment in Minnesota higher education institutions rose 2% over the previous year. Students appear to prefer programs and majors offering clear return of investment.
From the article:
The University of St. Thomas has consistently had a focus on “market demand,” says Kristen Hatfield, the university’s director of undergraduate admissions. Currently, she notes, “there’s market demand for all things health-related.” That’s one reason St. Thomas launched a nursing program in fall 2022, which now has an annual cohort of 125 students. In fall 2024, St. Thomas added a nutrition major, “an area of growing interest,” Hatfield says. Nutritionists and dietitians are in demand in hospitals and public health organizations, as well as in food sciences and sports.
“There’s still a lot of market demand for tech skills across all industries, data analysis being a key factor,” Hatfield notes. Business analytics, a recently introduced subject, has become St. Thomas’s most popular minor. “Students are combining it with different business majors,” Hatfield says. St. Thomas is currently developing an undergraduate curriculum for artificial intelligence, which Hatfield says will include instruction on AI’s ethical use.
