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[Audio] A Look at Murray State's Preliminary Fall Enrollment Numbers

Matt Markgraf, WKMS

Classes begin at Murray State University Tuesday and the pre-enrollment period is still underway, with a push of students in the last week before classes begin. On Sounds Good, Kate Lochte takes a look at the numbers with MSU Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Fred Dietz, why final enrollment numbers don't come in until October and how changing admission standards will impact retention.

This time of year, people often refer to Fred Dietz not by name, but by the question, "How are the numbers?" In the wave of students in the week leading up to classes who decide they'd rather go to a university close to home, students who return at the last minute or have a "light bulb" moment and decide to once and for all get that college degree, preliminary enrollment numbers are incoming and could change over the next couple months. Some students also participate in eight-week or ten-week semesters within the traditional academic semester, which changes the initial numbers.

Finalized numbers come out in mid-October, when an official headcount is given to the Council on Postsecondary Education. Dietz says numbers are looking "fairly flat" which means they are on course for last year in terms of overall enrollment. This semester, Murray State is anticipating 1,500 new freshmen, 700 transfer students and an additional 300 to 400 new graduate students. The estimated total is approximately 2,600 to 2,700 new students this fall. This is expected to be about 11,000 students total, the same as last year.

Factors regarding tuition include retention, the number of students returning from the previous fall. Murray State has about a 70% retention rate, one of the highest in Kentucky. This number will be scrutinized more in the future upon the move to a model that may reward universities in terms of funding based on performance, Dietz says. Demographics also play a part in tuition. Murray State's mission is to serve the 18 county region, but many students come from within a three-hour radius of campus, so MSU touches several states. If census numbers say populations are declining in Missouri or Illinois this can also have an effect on tuition.

Murray State's admission standards are changing as well, and this impact will be seen in the fall of 2016. When interviewing for his presidency, Dr. Bob Davies was interested in looking at not just numbers but also quality, Dietz says. Over the past year, university officials took a look at freshmen admission criteria and made changes that will impact future classes. One example is moving up ACT requirements. He says students coming in with ACT scores below 18 have generally not been successful, have accrued debt and left without getting their degrees. By implementing stricter admission criteria, retention and graduation rates may see a boost in the long run.

Dietz says Dr. Davies approach as president, by being directly involved with students and engaging students may also make a difference regarding retention. He says, "I've never worked for a president who is as student-centered as Dr. Davies is, and we're seeing it in the students that they love being around Dr. Davies, they love that he's approachable, that he's outside... we want to be a student-centered institution and that's what Dr. Davies believes in and that's his approach. It's neat to see. He's not just sitting in his office, he's out living it, breathing it, feeling it with other students."

Matt Markgraf joined the WKMS team as a student in January 2007. He's served in a variety of roles over the years: as News Director March 2016-September 2019 and previously as the New Media & Promotions Coordinator beginning in 2011. Prior to that, he was a graduate and undergraduate assistant. He is currently the host of the international music show Imported on Sunday nights at 10 p.m.
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