Enrollment and retention raise for 2016 spring semester

James Mager, the interim vice president for enrollment managment

To read about the enrollment and retention rates of the previous fall semester click here.

As the University of Toledo continues to develop its enrollment strategy, undergraduate enrollment numbers increased for the first time since 2010 while retention also rose and graduate enrollment continued to decline.

The enrollment numbers, which were released by the university on Jan. 26, mark a turning point in the university’s enrollment trend. The number of students in Spring 2016 at the 15-day mark was 18,849. At the same time last year, UT had 18,783 students enrolled, 66 students fewer than the current number.

“As the University develops a strategic enrollment plan to grow our student body, we intend to continue this momentum to both recruit and retain more UT students,” said UT President Sharon Gaber in a press release. “Every member of the UT faculty and staff is committed to the success of our students to ensure that they succeed in their studies and graduate on time. We will continue to see the enrollment numbers reflect that commitment.”

A job description for a permanent vice president for strategic enrollment management was posted Feb. 15, with a description saying the application review will begin on March 14. According to an article written by the Toledo Blade on Jan. 27, Interim Vice President for Enrollment Management James Mager said the university hopes to hire someone for the position by summer.

Mager wrote in an email interview that UT has been making efforts to be more engaged with students and to personalize interactions, which he feels has contributed to the positive enrollment and retention rate.

“We are seeing a positive response from our increased communication to prospective and current students in a way that is more timely and personalized. Ongoing efforts to support students, such as the Success Coaches, also have helped retain more students,” Mager wrote.

One factor Mager said has helped increase enrollment is the College Credit Plus program, which the state created in conjunction with universities to replace post-secondary enrollment options and dual-credit enrollment. College Credit Plus allows high school students to earn college credit at no additional cost, and Mager wrote that the number of participating students has contributed to increased enrollment numbers.

Retention increased by roughly two percent, from 87 percent from last year to 89.1 percent this year. This is the second semester that retention increased, following a 1.9 percent increase in retention for the Fall 2015 semester.

While overall enrollment and retention increased, graduate enrollment continued to fall, down by 135 students since Spring 2015 for a total of 4,170 students. Mager wrote that the university projected this based on enrollment numbers from the fall, where the number of graduate students enrolled decreased by 279 students, and that graduate enrollment will be a focus in the coming months.

“We will work to encourage more students to pursue and complete graduate degrees at UT in addition to our efforts to reach and graduate additional undergraduate students,” Mager wrote.

Ruffalo Noel-Levitz, the firm UT hired to help boost enrollment, is still in the process of developing an enrollment strategy for the university according to Mager, but one component of the strategy is “to continue our efforts for outreach to prospective and current students that is more personalized, customized and timely.” Mager wrote that enrollment numbers for Spring 2016 matched the predictions they made based on fall numbers, but said it is still too early to make any exact estimations.

The last increase UT saw in enrolled students was in 2010, when the head count increased from 23,119 to 23,144. Following 2010, the head count of enrolled students fell to 22,642 in 2011, and numbers continued to fall for the following five years. According to past press releases, UT cited a slowing economy and more focus on bringing in prepared students as a few of the reasons for this decline.