First-year enrollment at the University of New Hampshire has held steady this fall compared to last year, but has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.

The 2,671 students who enrolled at UNH’s Durham and Manchester campuses was nearly identical to the 2,679 who enrolled last year. In 2019, the last year before the pandemic, 2,818 students enrolled.

“Given the declining number of high school-age students in our region, as well as the challenges presented by last cycle’s federal financial aid delays, we are extremely proud of this result,” said new UNH President Elizabeth Chilton said, referencing widespread issues in last year’s roll-out of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Overall enrollment at UNH’s flagship campus in Durham has dropped about 850 students in the past five years, from 12,103 in 2019 to 11,261 this year.

While the size of the first-year class remained about the same as last year’s, its demographics changed. Twelve percent of first-years are domestic students of color, compared to 10% of last year’s class.

In a press release, the university described this class as its “most diverse ever.”

But the percentage of first-generation students in Durham dropped three percentage points, from 22% last year to 19% this year.

Kim DeRego, the vice president of enrollment management, described that trend as “extremely troubling.”

“Going to college is a key indicator of social mobility,” DeRego said. “If fewer first-generation students have access to a college education, that has ramifications for families, society, and the economy for decades to come.”

It’s not clear what role the issues with the FAFSA played, if any. But overall, the applications UNH received rose to an all-time high of 22,931 students.

Jeremy Margolis can be contacted at jmargolis@cmonitor.com.