ISU Bengal

Issue date: 3/8/06 Section: News

Media Credit: Josie Russell Spring Enrollment numbers took an unexpected decline. But Enrollment directors are optimistic about the Fall semester.

Enrollment in higher education has dropped not just at ISU but also at the University of Idaho, Lewis and Clark State College, and the University of Utah, says Dean of Enrollment Planning & Outreach Jennifer Fisher.

And according to Vice President of Academic Affairs, Robert Wharton, university and college attendance is cyclical and often related to the economy. Unemployment in Idaho is currently low and people are working instead of attending school.

On the tenth day of each semester, a "snap shot" of student enrollment is taken by Enrollment Planning and Outreach. In Spring 2006, tenth day enrollment at ISU was down by 567 students for the first time in ten years. Spring 2005 enrollment was down by 65 students from Spring 2004. Although it is normal for fewer students to attend in the spring than in the fall semester, prior to Spring 2005, spring semester attendance had been on the rise. It is now in decline.

The dip ISU is now experiencing is due to a number of factors. Continuing student enrollment is down by 313 students. Currently new freshman enrollment is down by 6%. Enrollment in professional development courses is down 63%. According to Dean Fisher this represents a continuing decline in enrollment of professional development courses. These types of courses are designed primarily for teachers who need graduate credits for certification or career and salary advancement. In Spring 2002 there were 509 students at tenth day enrolled in these types of classes. On tenth day Spring 2006, only 32 were registered. While full time graduate student enrollment is up by 4.6%, part time graduate student enrollment is down 3.9%. Enrollment in the College of Technology is also down by 66 students.

While a drop of a few students here or there may not seem like a lot, the total drop in enrollment by 567 students does impact the university. For instance, just this semester, the tuition ISU has lost from these students is about $1,134,000. The big picture, however, is not the little over one million dollars in lost tuition, but this amount multiplied by the four to six years most students attend ISU equals between $4,536,000 and $6,804,000.

Continued...

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