The current economic conditions and health issues could affect the number of applications West Virginia University receives for the next academic year.
Fewer applications have been received than had been at this time last year, said Liz Reynolds, associate vice president for Planning and Treasury Operations.
WVU has received about 6,000 applications for undergraduate incoming freshman, said Brenda Thompson, assistant vice president for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and Services.
"They’re also a little bit concerned about the impact of the swine flu and how that might be affecting too, that people are focused on other things this year than maybe getting these applications in," Reynolds said.
The flu outbreak could result in missed opportunities for the University to recruit high school students.
"What we’re finding earlier in the year is that a number of schools had to close because they had outbreaks in their school," Thompson said.
"In addition, if they’re sick, they probably aren’t thinking about the application."
She added that the incoming class has been slower to act than others – many high school seniors have not yet taken the SAT or ACT.
"West Virginia has traditionally been a later acting class for whatever reason. Many students tend to wait until their senior year to think about applying," Thompson said.
This could be because standardized tests are costly, prompting students to wait until they’ve taken more classes to master their skills before they pay for the test, Thompson said.
Resident applications are holding steady and improving slightly, but non-resident applications have been declining, Reynolds said.
"We’ve been looking at the numbers by state. We know that we are down in Pennsylvania and New Jersey," Reynolds said.
Thompson said this could be because finances are forcing students to go to school closer to home.
"Right now, we’re finding that finances is one of the top things on students’ and parents’ minds," Thompson said.
WVU is working to encourage students to apply.
"In the fall, we spend a great deal of time trying to reach students in their environment," Thompson said.
The University employs alumni to speak to students, holds college fairs, provides private visitations to high schools, holds visitation days and follows up on applications received by having a staff member or mentor student keep in contact with the applicant, Thompson said.
This year, WVU also became a member of the college networking site, Zinch.com.
Zinch allows students to be "more than just a test score" and list what they are looking for in a college.
The site then acts as a "dating service" and matches students with colleges that meet their criteria, allowing the University to reach out to students who may be interested in WVU’s offerings, Thompson said.
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