The University of Toledo enrollment raises for first time in six years

Just last week, the University of Toledo celebrated the loss of a tradition with the campus-wide announcement of an increase in enrollment for Fall 2016 — the first time enrollment has gone up in six years.

“We are thrilled with the increase in enrollment,” President Sharon Gaber said in an email sent out by University Communications. “UT provides an excellent education, and we are proud to offer that experience to more students. We have now reversed the previous declining trend and look forward to continuing a positive momentum moving forward.”

This increase added 267 more new students to UT’s campus than there were last year, increasing from 20,381 enrolled last fall to 20,648 this semester, according to the official 15-day census numbers.

According to Gaber, however, gaining 267 students doesn’t give full credit to the success the university has had in reversing this trend. Gaber explained that according to Stephanie Sanders, the new interim VP for enrollment, UT runs on an econometric model that predicted that enrollment would continue to go down by 139 student this fall.

“So the reality is that if we are up 100 - 200, it’s really that number plus the 139 that we were supposed to be down,” Gaber said.

This change in enrollment numbers does not come at a huge shock. However, it has been part of Gaber’s five areas of focus on her plan for the University since she became president just over a year ago.

“When we talk about increasing enrollment, that has to continue. If we are up 200 students this year, we can’t be down 200 students next year; we have to keep plugging,” Gaber said.

This growth in enrollment can be attributed to multiple factors, including the Division of Enrollment Management working with consultant Ruffalo Noel Levitz on a strategic enrollment plan to develop long-term strategies to help enrollment, which has been going on since last year.

Sanders and the rest of the division will continue their work with Levitz to help boost enrollment even more for years to come, according to an email from University Communications.

Gaber explained that her goal for the upcoming year, as far as enrollment is concerned, is to try to continue this upward trend and continue to show the community the benefits of a UT education.

“What that means is that if we don’t work really, really, hard every year to make sure that people recognize that this is a pretty darn good place, that you get a good education, you know really all of these things, then you know we are going to be back in that situation.” Gaber said. “So it is an ongoing situation that we have to make sure we are doing.”