The university estimates 3,289 students from the county are enrolled this fall. That’s up from 3,240 in 2010 and 3,075 in 2009. Nearly 10 percent of all in-state students derive from the county.
Comparably, 14,049 or 41 percent of the students at UC were from Hamilton County in the 2010-11 school year.
Leaders of the schools say attracting students beyond Cincinnati and Hamilton County is important for their growth, and in some cases, to help keep tuition costs low.
Cincinnati’s growth extends well beyond Butler County’s border.
Students from Montgomery County make up 3.6 percent of total student enrollment at the university, with 1,207 enrolled in 2010. That figure is up from 1,117 and 1,029 the previous to years.
Anthony Orozco, 23, is a fifth-year student at UC who said he was offered a scholarship after graduating from Hamilton High School in 2007.
“Only now after four years do I realize how much that I discovered about Cincinnati, how much I had no idea about,” Orozco said. “I really think I would be a different person had I gone to a different school and not gotten to meet some of the professors here at UC.”
UC does not have a regional or satellite campus in Butler County, despite it being one of the region’s fastest growing areas.
The school has traditionally focused its satellite campus efforts at UC Blue Ash, formerly Raymond Walters College, and UC Clermont.
There has been no discussion of opening a UC regional campus in Butler County, said Santa Ono, the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.
“The enrollment at UC Blue Ash and Clermont is through the roof,” Ono said. “Of the 43,000 students, over 9,000 of them are actually at those two campuses right now.”
Ono also cited the development of UC East, a transformation on an old Ford automotive plant to a 1.9 million-square-foot facility in Clermont County. UC signed on as the first tenant for 81,000 square feet of space to house UC’s Clermont college of nursing and the college of education, criminal justice and human services.
“We are trying to serve a larger footprint in Ohio, but beyond UC East, we have not many commitments or decisions about other campuses.”
Northern Kentucky University
Based in Highland Heights, Ky., Northern Kentucky University has seen a steady increase of Butler County students. While 2011 numbers were not available, 2010 enrollment was at 283, up from 261 and 182 the previous two academic years, according to university spokesman Chris Cole.
Cole credits the expansion of existing academic programs and the creation of academic programs that reflect the needs of the region as a reason for the increase.
Branding the institution outside of Northern Kentucky has been a point of emphasis spanning the last decade, he said. The College of Informatics, for example, is an academic program that reflects the need for managing information in the computer age, while implementing core communication skills needed to succeed in the job market, according to Cole.
“Another reason is because of our metropolitan tuition rate, which allows students from a dozen or so counties in Ohio and Indiana to receive a favorable tuition rate,” Cole said.
The Cincinnati-area metropolitan tuition rate for a full-time undergraduate student is $6,084 per year. That’s compared to $10,419 per year for a full-time student at UC.
Theoretically, a Butler County student may attend NKU for less than a college in his home state.
Cincinnati State
The percentage of students from the county at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College in Cincinnati is a little more than 10 percent, similar to UC, according to statistics provided by the college.
An estimated 1,097 students will enroll this fall at the college, that’s up from 998, 915 and 690 the previous three academic years.
Cincinnati State’s interest in opening a Middletown campus and the attention that has received, has contributed to the growth of county students at the institution, said Gaby Boeckermann, the director of admission.
The partnership with Great Oaks Career Campuses and the nursing program has had an impact in attracting Butler County students, too.
“We’ve been very committed to Butler County,” Boeckermann said. “I personally believe the growth is definitely a part of the excitement about Cincinnati State potentially having a presence there in Middletown.”
When prospective and current students see the commitment to Butler County, Cincinnati State becomes a viable option, Boeckermann said. Cincinnati State’s co-op program, which places students in professional settings while working on their degrees, helps “transition (students) into real-life employment,” Boeckermann said.
Xavier University
Enrollment among full-time Butler County students at Xavier University has increased in three of the past four years, according to data provided by the university.
Full-time undergraduate students attending XU total 174 for this fall, up from 161 and 136 the previous two academic years. Full-time graduate enrollment has held steady at 67 students in 2011 and 2010, up from 56 in 2009.
Jeffrey Bowles, 29, of Hamilton, attends Xavier’s branch campus in West Chester Twp. and works at Procter and Gamble in Mason. He said the structure of the MBA program was what attracted him to the site, rather than the main campus.
“I really like that model as opposed to traditional evening programs when you’re on your own to sign up for classes and buy your books,” Bowles said. “This is all-inclusive and the coordinators do an excellent job of keeping us on track.”
Part-time graduate students, however, have declined spanning the last three academic years with 121 enrolled for this fall, down from 151 and 208 the previous two years. In 2008, there were 175 students enrolled in part-time graduate study. The Master’s of Education program and Fenwick High School enrollment has slipped due to the economy and the laying off of teachers in the area, said Roger Bosse, director of graduate programs.
“A lot of the school districts in Butler County and in the area are laying off teachers, and those who they do lay off would be prime candidates for master degree programs,” Bosse said. “Throughout the state that’s happening ... and how much do you continually go to your taxpayers in your district?
“And if you don’t have the money, you have to lay people off,” he said.
There is no plan for expanding Xavier’s reach in Butler County beyond it’s Union Centre Boulevard Master’s of Business Administration program.
“Ideas of other educational opportunities located at that site continue to be discussed,” said Jen Bush, assistant dean for the Master’s of Business program. “However, there are no current discussions on expansion or anything similar.”
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