Slight decline in enrollment has leaders reevaluating student attraction methods

Slight decline in enrollment has leaders reevaluating student attraction methods

2022-12-22T12:51:22-05:00December 22nd, 2022|Atlanta, Education|

Writer: Gabriela Enamorado

2 min read December 2022 — Across the nation many higher education institutions are still seeing a decline in enrollment. Georgia’s higher education system has followed a similar trend as University System of Georgia (USG) reported last month a decline in enrollment numbers for the second consecutive year. Leaders of these institutions are now reevaluating and innovating their strategies toward increasing enrollment.

USG reports that the total enrollment numbers for the Fall 2022 semester were 334,459. This is in comparison to the 2021 enrollment numbers of 340,638, representing a decline of 6,179 or 1.8% across the state. An indication that many young Georgians may not be taking the traditional college path.  

Eight institutions saw an increase in enrollment, primarily research universities, while 17 others experienced a decline and another school remained stagnant. The USG institutions that did experience growth were Georgia Institute of Technology, August University, Gordon State College, the University of Georgia, South Georgia State College, Georgia Gwinnett College, Kennesaw State University and Albany State University. The largest decline was in state universities, which had a decrease of 5.7%. The school that saw the sharpest decline in numbers was Clayton State University, which experienced a 14.1% decline in enrollment. 

USG undergraduate enrollment has decreased as well compared to the rest of the country. In fall, undergraduate enrollment had a 2.3% decrease in undergraduate students while nationally four-year public institutions decreased only by 1.6%. 

According to the USG study, the downward trend in enrollment can be attributed to a number of factors. The current state of the job market, which is hungry for talent, has attracted high school graduates to enter the workforce right away instead of turning to a higher education system. Other factors include national financial uncertainty during a time of a possible recession as well as ongoing effects of the pandemic. 

“The University System of Georgia faces similar challenges to undergraduate enrollment as other public systems including a booming job market and lingering effects of the pandemic,” said USG Chancellor Sonny Perdue in a press release. “Still, I’m a facts guy, and the facts show USG graduates will make over $1 million more in their lifetimes thanks to their college degree and frankly we need to do a better job marketing that valuable return on investment. We aim to be a lifelong learning partner that helps Georgians change their lives and grow Georgia’s skilled workforce and economy.” 

Chancellor Perdue told US News that system officials are looking at ways to mitigate demographic challenges to attract more students. He predicts if the economy improves, enrollment numbers will follow. 

To adjust to the changing educational landscape, university leaders have begun looking at how to adjust their methods in attracting and retaining students in their institutions. “The challenge is that there are fewer people going to college in the United States than there were two years ago, and that has been in the making for the past several years. We are all feeling the effects of that as universities,” Brendan Kelly, president of the University of West Georgia told Focus:. “Most importantly, we will feel that in the economy because a less-educated America doesn’t put us in a strong position for success over time. We are trying to recalibrate to ensure access to our institution is made easier and that we are creating value at every turn.” 

Many universities, including UWG, are permanently including hybrid class models in their offerings as a way to make classes more accessible to students. “Making the hybrid model of learning an option enhances the student learning experience,” said Kelly.  “Research has shown for 15 years that hybrid learning is a better situation for students, because people activate their best thinking at different times. They also need the sense of community and enlightenment that comes along with being together in an in-person class. It has to be a mix.” 

Other initiatives taking place to attract students to higher education include adding more major options and promoting those. One school that has successfully done this is Augusta University, which is one of the universities that experienced growth in enrollment, standing at 9,813 which is a 2.2% increase from 2021’s enrollment.

“This is a pivotal time for our university, and that is shown in the continued growth of our student body, the addition of quality academic programs and the number of successful graduates those programs produce,” said Brooks A. Keel, president of Augusta University in a news release.

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