There’s a bright spot in our fall 2019 enrollment numbers that has me feeling optimistic about the future. Our new freshman class is up 1.9% this year to 1,475 students. That’s 28 additional first-time students who chose the University of Idaho to start working their way toward a college degree. These students made a great choice and we are committed to helping them succeed. I am proud of the growth in this important area – it is part of our mission as Idaho’s land-grant university to provide access to education for our citizens. We are fulfilling that assignment. U of I’s overall enrollment is up slightly this fall to 11,926 students from 11,841 a year ago but down from over 12,000 in 2017. Full-time, on-campus student enrollment is down by a few tenths of a percent but has stabilized over the past four years. In addition to our rising freshman class, graduate student enrollment is up 2.6% this fall to 1,803 students. U of I invested in more competitive packages for graduate teaching assistants two years ago, which has helped us fulfill our educational mission while supporting students in their graduate studies. Our grad students should see enhanced professional development opportunities as well. Student enrollment from states served by the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is 1,018 students, up from 724 in 2018. The WUE program provides a discount to students from across the West and was expanded in 2017. The overall first-time, full-time student retention rate for fall is 77.3%, down from 80.7% a year ago. A new advising tool, VandalStar, aims to combat that. The tool is being fully implemented and provides coordinated support to all students to ensure they stay on track. With that tool and a new approach to student advising, we’re confident we can improve our retention rates. We are encouraged by improvements in several areas but know we have work to do. The biggest hurdle more and more students face is unmet financial need, even after student loans and scholarships are taken into account. We are committed to addressing that need through our Vandal Promise Scholarship – the university’s fundraising priority. This renewable scholarship aims to fill the $5,000 gap many qualified students face in covering the cost of college attendance. Twenty-two students are already benefiting this fall from the fundraising effort – thanks to the private support from alumni and partners who see the value of investing in Vandal students. This work is gradual and righting the ship takes time. We are making progress in the right direction and the overall enrollment picture reflects good teamwork across the university – our enrollment management, admissions and marketing teams in particular. U of I is ever improving to meet the needs of today’s college-bound students. We’re doing good work to ensure student success. We’re telling our story. But we can’t do it alone. We need you. Your passion, and your ability to tell your Vandal story, make a critical difference in how we create life-changing experiences for the next generation. |