When college officials across the country talk about their final tally of Fall 2012 enrollment, the discussions produce assessments that are all over the map.
Some institutions, like Hampton University, are pleased to see their enrollment declining. Others, like Florida A&M University, are wondering how they are going to make up for revenue shortfalls stemming from final numbers that came in much lower than expected. Many institutions, Bowie State University among them, are relieved that lingering economic effects of the Great Recession were no more damaging this fall than a fender bender. A few, like Fisk University, have much to cheer, as this fall saw a reversal in the downward spiral of their enrollment numbers.
With recruiters already hard at work seeking prospects for the Fall 2013 school year, the ink is still drying on the final 2012 numbers at many schools. Yet, enough feel confident about the results to date for Fall 2012 to explain how their real-time experience compares to their goal for the season and what ideas and strategies figure into the upcoming recruitment campaigns.
“We’re moving toward a purposeful decline” in enrollment, said Angela Boyd, director of admissions at Hampton University. With a long-term strategy of reducing enrollment by nearly 1,000 students from a high of 6,300, Boyd said the tough job this year was sifting through the more than 16,000 applications the university received in search of the target of 900 students. Holding new admissions to that number would help bring overall enrollment down by 500 students to 5,500 for the 2012-2013 school year.
Boyd said the “purposeful decline” strategy reflects Hampton’s decision that it was getting too big to maintain its ideal average class size of 15-16 students per class. The enrollment gains were also testing the university’s ability to “make sure services and resources are available,” said Boyd. Among other things, Hampton provides about 23 percent of its entering freshmen with merit-based scholarships, some funded from income on its $250 million endowment.
Tough times
At Bowie State University in Prince George’s County, Md., the lingering bite of the Great Recession made its presence known on the recruiting home stretch as many students who had signed up for this fall were unable to pay their enrollment bills before deadline, an unexpected turn of events that hurt an otherwise successful recruiting campaign. At Bowie State, where tuition is under $5,000 a year, enrollment slipped to 5,421 students from 5,602 in Fall 2011. Its goal was to “incrementally” exceed the 2011 enrollment level.
