After several years of record-breaking freshman enrollment numbers, this past fall marked the beginning of what West Virginia University officials expect to be a continued decline of incoming freshmen.
In 2008, the University broke the record set the previous year, reaching a total of 5,100 freshmen.
In 2009, that number was down to 4,600 incoming freshmen.
Brenda Thompson, assistant vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and Services, told The Dominion Post in August this drop in numbers was partly on purpose due to the fact that the 2007 numbers exceeded the University’s goals and expectations.
However, the number of applying freshmen doesn’t seem as if it will meet expectations for next year.
According to The Daily Athenaeum, the current number of freshman applications for next year is down from those received this time last year.
There are a couple of reasons why freshman enrollment is seeing this decline in numbers.
The most obvious is that our economy has forced unemployment to double-digit rates for the first time since 1983.
Although CNN Money ranks West Virginia ninth in the nation for unemployment with an unemployment rate of 4.6 percent, surrounding states such as Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Ohio were ranked as high as 39th, with unemployment rates reaching up to 7.3 percent.
These statistics seem to coincide with enrollment trends. Liz Reynolds, associate vice president for Planning and Treasury Operations, told the DA resident applications are slightly improving while nonresident applications from states such as Pennsylvania and New Jersey have been declining.
In reality, this drop in enrollment hasn’t affected the college financially.
Although freshman enrollment is declining, graduate enrollment seems to be on the rise.
This can also be credited to our current economic situation. If there aren’t jobs available, the only other option is to continue onto graduate school until the economy picks up.
University Spokesman Dan Kim told The Dominion Post that the overall picture seems to be balancing out, as the total enrollment for 2008 exceeded the 2010 enrollment goal by 340 students.
I was relieved when I heard about the drop in freshman enrollment.
For years, the University has had to contract off-campus apartment complexes or find temporary housing for those incoming freshmen because of limited dorm space.
In 2008, WVU stopped accepting housing applications because the University reached the maximum number of available housing spots of 5,800, which included those temporary and leased vacancies.
Why is it important to meet enrollment goals when the University doesn’t have the resources to accommodate these larger numbers?
As more and more students are crowding into this small town, I just don’t see the need.
If anything, the University needs to restrict enrollment by upping admission requirements.
It’s great there is a demand to attend WVU – everyone truly deserves the opportunity to get access to higher education. But in these past few years, the University’s reputation has taken severe blows.
What should take priority over enrollment is trying to rebuild the University’s reputation.
This University is a business, first and foremost, and an increase in student enrollment means an increase in tuition revenue.
The University would benefit from taking a step back and looking at what tougher admission requirements would do for its image.
Not to mention less traffic, a lower student to faculty ratio, less parking issues and less demand for dorm space.