What’s behind Montana’s higher ed enrollment uptick?

Fall 2021 enrollment counts announced last month have delivered some welcome news for the Montana University System: For the first time in nearly a decade, the state’s 16 public colleges and universities have seen their combined enrollment increase.

The uptick wasn’t huge — the equivalent of only a few hundred full-time students, or a less than 1% gain over the previous school year, according to data presented by state education officials at last month’s meeting of the Montana Board of Regents...