Preliminary spring enrollment numbers at Murray State University show a 4.6% decline compared to the previous spring. However, fall 2018 freshmen admissions applications show promising gains.
The Board of Regents discussed the numbers and initiatives on Friday. While the final spring numbers won't be released until March 25, early numbers place total enrollment at 8,628. That number last year was 9,264.
Fall 2018 freshmen applications for admission are up 24% and freshmen acceptances are up 17% from this time last year. Fall 2018 domestic transfer applications are down 16% and transfer acceptances are down 5.5%.
Initiatives underway for boosting enrollment include summits for students, including a diversity leadership summit, streamlining application processing, implementing the Deans Scholarship, adding Arkansas to the list of regional tuition states and increasing emails and publications. President Bob Davies noted growth from outreach efforts in Jefferson County, the Memphis area and Arkansas.
Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Fred Dietz said a few years ago the university changed admission criteria for undergraduate students, resulting in a higher achieving class in terms of test scores and GPAs. "We're going after students who are stronger, more competitive. They have more choices," Dietz said.
The spring numbers also reflect the removal of what was a health/wellness center class that was offered free of charge to faculty and staff (accounting for about 230 individuals). President Bob Davies said this was removed to more purely reflect the enrollment numbers. The spring 2017 number includes the 200-plus faculty and staff that took this course, according to Dietz in a follow-up with WKMS News.
For graduate students, Provost Mark Arant said, "Unfortunately the decline is accelerating." To punctuate this point, he cited a drop in overall credit hours achieved and stated that most graduate students at Murray State are considered 'part-time' - averaging a lower amount of credit hours than the 'full-time' threshold.
One significant factor noted is the continuing decline in international enrollment - consistent with a national trend. Arant said a number of other factors contribute to losses, one being that the university may not be offering programs students are looking for, like a Masters of Fine Arts in Arts, a Masters in International Business and a Masters in Social Work. He said the university is looking to increase enrollment caps in agriculture and engineering programs. He also said his office is assessing times in which classes are being offered. He said teachers in the region have expressed an interest in taking classes, but that they are not being offered at convenient times. Some new strategies include weekends, evenings and a stronger online presence.
Preliminary international enrollment numbers are 338 in Spring 2018 compared to 556 in Spring 2017. The fall 2018 international undergraduate freshmen acceptance is up 92% and undergraduate transfer acceptance is 29%. Graduate acceptance is down 21%. Some of the decline in international enrollment involves fewer students coming to study in the United States, opting instead for other countries, including Canada and Australia. Outreach efforts underway include new university and business partnerships, alumni outreach, personalized communications and market analysis.
