At the University of Vermont, the share of in-state students is dwindling, and it’s raising questions about the role and mission of the state’s flagship public university.

VTDigger education reporter Peter D’Auria — with the help of data reporter Erin Petenko — has been looking at the enrollment statistics over time, as well as how they compare with those of other large public universities across the country.

Here’s the short version: Peter writes: “over the past two decades, the number of undergraduate Vermonters at UVM has decreased by about 300. Meanwhile, the university’s student body has added roughly 3,800 out-of-state students.”

That means less than a quarter of the school’s undergrads are Vermonters, as of spring 2023. That rate is near the bottom of the list of every large public university in the U.S.

Host Sam Gale Rosen talked to Peter about what we should take from these numbers.