In all, 740 students were on campus for the first day of classes earlier this month, an increase from the 675 students who were on campus at the same time last year.
At the same time, community colleges and other state schools are keeping a close eye on their own enrollment figures, as staff and students become accustomed to a required conversion from quarters to semesters.
Schools across Ohio have noticed a slight drop in enrollment due to the change, said Jennifer Dietsch, director of marketing at Clark State Community College. But Clark State is optimistic its enrollment numbers will actually remain flat overall once the final figures are available later this year.
“We think we’re going to come in right around flat for the fall semester,” Dietsch said.
Urbana enrollment dipped in 2011, but overall has been generally increasing over the past few years, said Chip Weisgerber, vice president of student and enrollment services at Urbana University. The likely culprits for the decline in 2011 included a rough economy and a decrease in the amount of state aid available for students at private universities, Weisgerber said.
“It was a blip in an otherwise positive trend,” Weisgerber said of 2011.
Urbana University was already on semesters and did not need to make that conversion. Enrollment at Wittenberg University, a private school that also did not need to make the conversion, has remained relatively stable in recent years. Total enrollment included 1,745 students in 2010 and 1,766 in 2011. So far this year, the figure is 1,735.
To accommodate the additional students, staff at Urbana University were forced to reopen the South Hall building on campus, one of a handful of buildings that had originally closed for renovations to make the campus more energy efficient. Those facilities are still slated for improvements, Weisgerber said. But students will be able to live in the building until more accommodations become available.
This year, university officials voted to freeze tuition, as well as room and board costs, for students.
“I think that helps us maintain our affordability,” Weisgerber said.
Urbana University is also making an effort to market itself to potential students. Along with a switch to Division II athletics, the university also redesigned its website in recent months.
Derek Johnson, a transfer student from Deleware, Ohio, said he enrolled after previously spending two years at Wilberforce University. A psychology major, Johnson said he was attracted to Urbana University because he is interested in playing for its football team next year. But he said he has also enjoyed his experience on the campus so far this year.
“It’s quiet. As far as the environment, I like it,” Johnson said of Urbana University.
At Clark State, about 5,000 students were on campus last fall, compared to about 4,700 as this school year began, Dietsch said. But when figures from high school dual enrollment and a fall B term are included, enrollment overall is expected to be about the same as last year, Dietsch said. As enrollment at its main campus has dipped slightly so far, Clark State’s Greene Center campus in Beavercreek has seen an increase in enrollment.
As the economy soured, many community colleges experienced a spike in enrollment in 2008 and 2009, said Kim Norris, director of communications for the Ohio Board of Regents.
“Since then they might have trended downward somewhat,” Norris said.
The Board of Regents has not done any detailed analysis of enrollment figures statewide, and many colleges and universities will not release their enrollment figures until later this year. But Norris said she has heard anecdotal reports from other colleges that have also reported declining enrollment because of the conversion to semesters.
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