Ohio University administrators hope rising enrollment and retention will help offset the university's current budget deficit.
With a freshman class of more than 4,075 students, OU broke its enrollment record and now has more than 31,700 students on all campuses. Preliminary numbers show that OU's total enrollment increased by about 6.8 percent, or 2,050 students, this year.
The numbers are very good
said Craig Cornell, OU's vice provost for enrollment management. We've had a strong (applicant) pool from day one.
Cornell said the preliminary numbers were slightly better than forecasted.
Enrollment at Athens' campus increased by nearly 330 students, while regional campus enrollment rose by about 1,300. Regional campuses have seen real growth Cornell said, adding that many students on regional campus are full time this year.
Enrollment across all OU campuses has increased by 10.3 percent from fall 2005 to this year, but it fluctuates from year to year.
Final enrollment numbers will not be available until January, said Becky Watts, chief of staff for OU President Roderick McDavis.
OU had planned to leave one dorm vacant this year for renovations, but the increase forced OU to put students in every available building, Watts said. Anytime you have enrollment growth it does put a strain on some systems.
The increase in enrollment will also cause tuition revenue to rise, which is expected to offset this year's deficit.
The increase should initially affect the budget positively, but it is too early to predict the long-term effects of the increase, said John Day, associate provost for Academic Budget and Planning.
Despite the momentary boost in revenue, OU officials are still concerned about OU's ability to retain students.
Students who can't get loans and scholarship money may be forced to go somewhere cheaper, Day said, adding that the recession makes it hard to predict whether or not enrollment will continue to increase during the next few years.
OU retained 80 percent of students from last year and graduated 70 percent of students from 2002-08, according to the Office of Institutional Research.
Student retention from freshman to sophomore year has risen 1 percent, Cornell said.
The incoming freshmen also performed better on the ACT. This year, freshmen admitted to the university averaged a 23.76 on the ACT - up 0.03 points from last year.
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Caitlin Bowling
