Local colleges hit enrollment records


AREA COLLEGE ENROLLMENT UP
Institution Fall 2015 enrollment Enrollment change from last fall First-year students average ACT score First-year students average GPA
Wilberforce University 653 85.5% N/A N/A
Edison Community College 3,029 9.5% N/A 2.78
Antioch College 260 9.2% 27 3.43
Central State University 1,807 3.2% N/A N/A
Cedarville University 3,712 2.5% 26 3.64
Clark State Community College 6,000 1.7% N/A 2.85
Ohio State University 66,000 1.7% 28.9 N/A
Wright State University 17,779 1.5% N/A N/A
University of Cincinnati 44,000 0.7% 25.7 3.47
Miami University 23,840 0.2% 28.1 N/A
Sinclair Community College 20,750 0.0% N/A N/A
University of Dayton 11,203 -1.5% 27 3.63
Wittenberg University 1,800 -5.3% N/A N/A
Note: Figures are estimates. Public institutions report headcount figures to the state by Sept. 20. Enrollment figures include regional campuses, however, first-year scores include only “main" campuses.
Source: Figures provided by institutions

The University of Dayton’s classrooms and dorms are bustling with what the school says is its all-time largest undergraduate population.

The school expects its full-time undergraduate enrollment to jump nearly 5 percent to 8,300 this year, with about 60 percent of those students coming from outside Ohio.

UD is among a handful of local colleges and universities that are estimating record headcounts.

“Demand continues to be high because of our reputation and the value of a University of Dayton education,” said Jason Reinoehl, interim vice president for enrollment management and marketing.

UD officials attribute the enrollment record to the school’s increase in retention. The university set a retention record this year — retaining 91 percent of its freshmen students from last school year.

Reinoehl says the university’s four-year tuition plan gives students financial certainty, and helps bring them back for their second year. That plan promises that scholarships and grants will increase each year to offset any tuition increases, eliminates fees and offers up to $4,000 over four years for books.

Enrollment records

The University of Cincinnati’s enrollment is set to hit 44,000 for the first time. If those numbers hold, it will be the fourth time in the past five years that the university hits an all-time record. Public universities are required to submit final enrollment figures to the state by Sept. 30.

Ohio State projects total enrollment to jump 1.7 percent to a record 66,000. OSU welcomed more than 7,000 freshmen last week — a group the university calls its most talented and diverse class in its 145-year history.

The first-year group had an average ACT score of 28.9, according to university estimates. That would represent the 20th consecutive year of increase. In 1995, the university’s incoming class had a 22.8 average ACT score when its Columbus campus went to a more selective admission policy, and every year since its average score has inched up.

Last month, former OSU President Gordon Gee told this newspaper that the move helped to attract students.

Central State University, Clark State Community College, Miami University and Wright State University all say enrollment should increase in 2015.

“The story surrounding the Class of 2019 is simply amazing. The year began with a record number of applications for admission,” said Susan Schaurer, Miami University assistant vice president of enrollment management in a prepared statement.

About 35 percent of Miami’s incoming students graduated in the top 10 percent of their classes, with an average ACT score of 28.1.

Yet some schools say enrollment is down. For instance, Wittenberg University’s headcount is down 5.3 percent to 1,800. The private university in Springfield welcomed 550 freshman to campus this year.

Since the fall of 2014, Wittenberg has predicted that its enrollment would be down.

Economy’s role

Local community colleges and universities say the economy is a huge driver of enrollment. At WSU, enrollment jumped from 2009 through 2011, as the local and national economy sputtered.

“There was a significant amount of job loss in region. You have homegrown NCR, and places like the GM plant closing, and everything that followed,” said Mary Ellen Ashley, vice president for enrollment management at WSU.

She says the job losses pushed up WSU’s enrollment.

National experts say as an economy falls, workers’ employment prospects worsen and some look at higher education as a place to improve employment likelihood.

Meanwhile, the “phenomenon” works in reverse: As the economy improves, workers have more employment options and less pressing need for postsecondary credentials. For example, Sinclair Community College’s total headcount jumped from 35,321 in 2006-07 to 40,182 in 2010-11. In 2013-14, that number was down to 32,812. The schools says enrollment for the fall is flat.

“Sinclair’s enrollment is tied to the local unemployment rate — as more people go back to work, we tend to have a lower enrollment,” said Sinclair spokesman Adam Murka.

International up

For a handful of local schools, the number of international students increased. The share of students from other countries jumped to 12 percent at UD, and 8.4 percent at Miami.

The Ohio Department of Higher Education reported that nearly 30,000 international student-visa holders are enrolled at Ohio’s colleges and universities, up about 10 percent since 2008. The state estimates those students provide $827 million in annual economic impact.

Last month, the state introduced the Global Reach to Engage Academic Talent initiative, with a goal of increasing the share of international college students in Ohio from 4.1 percent to 6 percent. The state says that would generate an estimated $1.2 billion and support 17,000 jobs.

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