Enrollment down slightly, says MnSCU

-- Margaret A. Pribel

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system (MnSCU) reports a decline in enrollment for this year throughout the 32 colleges and universities in their system. They report a five-percent drop, showing that for all 32 schools, there were 893 fewer students enrolled this year.

There is speculation that continuously increasing tuition is to blame for declining enrollment. This year tuition at Metropolitan State University rose 14 percent. According to the Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board, Minnesota colleges and universities have the fourth highest average tuition and fees in the nation, following New Hampshire, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

Over the past several years, the amount of money the state kicks in to run colleges and universities has been reduced from around two-thirds of total tuition costs to about half.

MnSCU Chancellor James H. McCormick said in a press release, “Students are telling us that they have had to postpone their education because they just can’t afford it. They are taking second or third jobs to be able to pay the tuition. And they are going into debt.” McCormick said, “In 2003, our students borrowed a total of $317 million, more than twice the amount our students borrowed in 1995.”

Other possible causes for reduced enrollment are the re-opening of mines in northern Minnesota, cuts in funding at correctional facilities, which have caused their college programs to be discontinued, and an improved economy may be making jobs more accessible.

The cause of declining enrollment is questionable because the information available is complex and unclear. MnSCU reported that enrollment at Metropolitan State University in the fall of 2003 was 6,733, and that enrollment the following fall fell to 6,664. But the Institutional Research department at Metropolitan State University reported that in the fall of 2003, enrollment was 6,465 and that enrollment the following fall rose to 6,511.

The numbers are also gauged by Full Time Equivalence (FTE), which indicates that full-time students are taking more credits per semester. Enrollment may be fluctuating because of the class load that students are taking. FTE indicates that full-time students are taking more credits per semester, with undergraduates averaging 30 credits per year and graduate students averaging 20 credits per year.

Tim Dunsworth of the Institutional Research department says, “There have been steady increases in enrollments since 1998.” He adds that headcounts have continued to grow in the last two years, “but at a much slower rate than before.” Dunsworth explained, “There are a lot of theories about why our growth has slowed or declined recently, including effects of outside economic/job market changes, increases in tuition rates, a brief moratorium on accepting international students, followed by more limited acceptance of them.” He also explained that strict enforcement of administrative policies and procedures can cause a reduction in enrollment. For example, enforcing admission deadlines rather than allowing continuous admission, enforcing drops for nonpayment of fees, and requiring assessment and orientation to be completed right away for new students can cause enrollment to drop.

One could look in many directions for the cause of reduced enrollment—tuition and book costs, the economy, or even the fact that the flu shots this year are in short supply, could be reasons for some people to avoid places where numbers of people assemble. At this point though, tuition seems a viable detractor.

The Metropolitan Home || Calendar || Masthead || Contact
Metropolitan State University Homepage

All material © Metropolitan 2005, except as noted. All rights reserved.