The State Of College Enrollment

Words by Sierra Allen and Julie Riedel

Although college enrollment numbers have decreased over the past few years, data from the Ohio Department of Higher Education shows an overall enrollment increase from 2007, which is a collective improvement over 10 years.

According to the Total Headcount Enrollment by Institution and by Campus report, Ohio’s fall 2016 public college enrollment was 501,125 students; an 8 percent decrease from 2011, but 6 percent increase from 2007.

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Jeff Robinson, Ohio Department of Higher Education director of communications, explained how the state of the economy affects college enrollment.

“When the economy is good or is improving, there tends to be a lower enrollment trend. And when you have a slightly poorer economy like we did in 2008 and 2009 with the recession, a lot of people lose their jobs, or are maybe looking for additional employment or different employment,” Robinson said. “And that’s when you see the enrollment go up, particularly at the community colleges where people go back to earn maybe a one year certificate or a two year associates degree that will train them for another job in the workforce. And then, we also had fewer students graduating from high school in the last year or so and our colleges do keep an eye on those trends so they can properly plan for any changes in that area as well.”

The idea of higher education is usually viewed the same, but the term college is an umbrella for different forms of education. Unlike state universities that offer bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral programs and dormitories to local and out-of-state students, community colleges are nonresidential, locally supported and offer two years of college courses with the potential transition to 4-year universities. Regional campuses, like those affiliated with Kent State University, are branches of the main campus that are placed in different locations.

The Total Headcount Enrollment by Institution and by Campus report shows that community colleges in Ohio has experienced a 16 percent decrease since 2011, but has remained consistent with overall enrollments since 2007. Since 2011, Ohio universities have experienced a 3 percent decrease, but 10 percent overall increase since 2007.

Responsive:

Private institutions are also grouped into the college term, but fall into two categories: nonprofit and for-profit. Private nonprofit colleges run like businesses and the shareholders and owners expect monetary earnings, while private nonprofit colleges offer a full educational experience to students without expecting monetary gains.

Public intuitions receive state funding to help with stability, which maintains lower tuition and more degree options. Public universities are also required to report to their state board of higher education, a panel of members who set rules, regulations and make recommendations. Because private institutions receive funding through tuition and private financing, they tend to have higher tuition prices, smaller student populations, fewer degree options and less state oversight.

While it is harder to report on private institutions because of the lack of state oversight and information requirements, data from public institutions are a lot more accessible. Some popular Ohio colleges include, Kent State University, Cleveland State University, Youngstown State University, Ohio University and the University of Akron. Since 2011, Kent State University has experienced a 4 percent decrease, but a 20 percent increase since 2007. Cleveland State University has experienced a 3 percent decrease since 2011, but a 10 percent increase since 2007. Youngstown State University and the University of Akron has experienced enrollment decreases, but are still not that far from 2007 data reports. Since 2011, Youngstown University has experienced a 13 percent decrease and the University of Akron has experienced a 22 percent decrease, but have both only experienced an overall 7 percent decrease in enrollments since 2007.

Though the data on private institutions are harder to access, through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System the Ohio Board of Higher Education reported a total of 157,800 enrolled students in 2015, which is the most recent number the Ohio Board of Higher Education has documented.

Located in Alliance Ohio, University of Mount Union, a private liberal arts school, has experienced stable enrollment numbers over the last 10 years, with some years with more or fewer students, according to Eric R. Young, the director of Admissions at Mount Union. He reported that there are currently about 2,200 students at Mount Union and although its undergraduate and international enrollment have been consistent, the enrollment in three newly added graduate programs have increased.

As a private university, Mount Union relies on tuition to fund the school and provide their students with an education. Young stated that Mount Union’s tuition on average increases by two or three percent every year, which is just over the 10 year average national inflation rate of 1.8 percent calculations, based off Bureau of Labor Statistics data. According to College Tuition Compare, the 2017 average tuition cost for private institutions in Ohio is $17,132 and the average in-state tuition for public schools is $11,396.

“We work really hard to secure classes, to make sure students are enrolling here because that has a large impact on the budget and how much money we have at an institution,” Young said. “You are actually seeing that at public institutions, now too as less and less government funding is being made available for state institutions. You’re seeing those same types of trends, I think, at the state institutions, but definitely at Mount Union. We are a tuition driven institution, like most private institutions, so it’s a really important aspect for the university.”

Cleveland State University, a public university located in downtown Cleveland, serves a large commuter population, but also has students living on and near campus.

According to the Ohio Department of Higher Education, in fall 2016, Cleveland State University reported an enrollment of 16,892 students, which is a 10 percent increase from 2007, but a 3 percent decrease from 2011 and a 2 percent decrease from 2015.

Lee Furbeck, director of undergraduate admissions at Cleveland State University, reported that it still has a large transfer student population from local community colleges. Its incoming freshman classes and student retention rates are also growing. Furbeck primarily works with undergraduate students, but still said graduate enrollment is down. She also mentioned that undergraduate international enrollment is slightly increased, but international graduate enrollment is slightly decreased.

Both private and public institutions offer various ways to manage tuition costs for students, including scholarships, grants and other forms of financial aid. The Ohio Board of Higher Education has a list of public institutions that offer tuition waivers, as well as tuition guarantee programs, which are programs that give students the same tuition cost from their first to last semester at that institution.

Before, state funding was determined by the number of enrolled students on campus, but a performance-based funding model has now been introduced to ensure the proper education of students. With this funding change, the Ohio Department of Higher Education saw improvements in career advising, counseling and tracking individual progress towards graduation.

“Here in Ohio, we changed our method of funding a few years ago to where we now have a performance based funding model,” Robinson said. “So previously, we were funding schools based on enrollment and how many students they got in their classroom seats. We saw that that doesn’t necessarily show how effective a school is being in educating those students or keeping those students from year to year until they get their degree.”

As a public institution, Cleveland State University receives state funding to maintain the university, opposed to making a profit like for-profit private schools.

“Well, if there are more students paying tuition, or more students paying more tuition, then that’s good for the university’s budget,” Furbeck said. “As public institution, we’re not out to make a profit and we’re not trying to make a profit and we’re not making a profit. But we do want to make sure that we’re able to provide quality education and services for out students and to do that you, have to have money in the budget.”

As for the future of higher education, the hopes are that every institution will serve their students and provide the best education possible, whether it’s in a classroom or with hands-on experience. The Competency-Based Education Pilot was established to be a system of academic instruction, assessment, grading and reporting where students receive credit based off demonstrations and learning assessments. The program tailors the curriculum to the student’s current knowledge level and skill so they can master material at their own pace.

“I would hope it would be kind of what we’re working towards now,” Robinson said. “A model that provides opportunities for all students to learn in whatever realm they are most comfortable and most effective, whatever way they can best grasp the information that they are trying to learn and put into practice. So I don’t know that it will be the same as it is now because I don’t think it’s the same now as it was 10 years ago.”

Looking further into the future, the Ohio Department of Higher Education has put the Attainment 2025 Goal in place, which projects that by 2025, 65 percent of Ohioans ages 25-65 will have a degree, certificate or other postsecondary workforce credential of value; an optimistic, yet measurable objective.

For more information about Mount Union and Cleveland State University

 

 

 

What is the state of college enrollment in Ohio? read my story to find outhttps://t.co/D75NuolBIi #JMCRPP pic.twitter.com/f2VuFtrFqa

— Julie R. (@awkwardlycoffee) March 14, 2018