Fall 2020 Enrollment numbers

[polly_mer]

Bottom line ....it behooves us to attract rich kids who are good enough to not have real huge problems, but aren't so smart that they come in with CC or AP credit.....and don't need and can't qualify for big discounts.

I was told that was SD's successful business model until about 15 years ago and still was the unsuccessful hope.

[Ruralguy]

We don't have enough dumb rich kids to make this our model, but we can factor in a certain percentage to help subsidize the discount for the smart poor kids.

[Anselm]

Bottom line ....it behooves us to attract rich kids who are good enough to not have real huge problems, but aren't so smart that they come in with CC or AP credit.....and don't need and can't qualify for big discounts.

I was told that was SD's successful business model until about 15 years ago and still was the unsuccessful hope.

This strategy might explain why my alma mater recently added lacrosse and ice hockey teams.

[Ruralguy]

Sounds like they are competing for the  PA and northward contingent.
Good luck!

[spork]

No semi-official numbers on new student deposits yet, but I did hear about an incoming student who thought it smart to put derogatory comments on several social media platforms. He's no longer an incoming student. I guess we are admitting anyone who is breathing.

[the_geneticist]

Bottom line ....it behooves us to attract rich kids who are good enough to not have real huge problems, but aren't so smart that they come in with CC or AP credit.....and don't need and can't qualify for big discounts.

I was told that was SD's successful business model until about 15 years ago and still was the unsuccessful hope.

The SLAC I used to work at had a similar model.  And combined it with "We need to grow!" 
They dropped the math requirements the same year they added a football team.  (surely just a coincidence .. . . )
But they really messed up and ended up giving out MORE financial aid dollars by admitting more students.

[dr_codex]

We just got our update. New undergraduate deposits down 8% from this point last year. Incoming transfers up, and probably going to be way up. Grad students too early to call. Lots of current students not yet registered -- I'd guess that there are lots of holds on accounts, for finances and for housing issues.

If this holds up, it will actually balance out our cohorts somewhat, and help to fix a hole caused by higher than usual withdrawals two years ago.

Update: New undergraduate deposits even (well, down 1 student), so the class is full. Transfer deposits up 45%. Grad students the same as last year.

The known unknown is how many returning students might not return. That said, we look to be in better shape than pre-Covid.

As I posted before, we are counter-cyclical: low tuition, jobs oriented, and specialized. The financial crisis saw an equivalent rise in enrollment.

[downer]

One thing I was wrong about: I was expecting enrollment numbers to fluctuate a lot as events unfolded over the summer.

But it turns out that my numbers for my fall classes have remained steady, with no more fluctuation than in previous years. Every week or two a new student will enroll in the ones that have spaces. If things proceed as usual, there will be a bunch of additions in August.

[Wahoo Redux]

We seemed to have actually gained a bit!!!!

We believe these are people who would otherwise have gone down the road to one of the relatively prestigious schools in the region which tend to siphon off the really good students, probably folks who are avoiding the dorms or are unwilling to pay the prestige-school prices for online classes.  They  are apparently filling out some cheap gen-eds while they wait out the plague Decameron-style.

Our admin apparently doesn't realize this, at least not from a negotiating standpoint.  Dirty pool.

[Vkw10]

We're 1% down from this time last year, after budgeting based for 8% decline. Still recruiting, but major question now is how many will show up.

[lightning]

We're 1% down from this time last year, after budgeting based for 8% decline. Still recruiting, but major question now is how many will show up.

I'm not privy to all the numbers, but our enrollment is holding steady, looking like previous years, yet somehow, admin rolled over like dead dogs when politicians told them there isn't enough $ due to COVID-19, and are forcing budget cuts down our throats.

As has been said many times, "Never let a good crisis go to waste." I'm just too exhausted to fight it anymore.

[sprout]

Around 13% down as of today.  Which is an improvement over the 18% down we were a few weeks ago.

[Parasaurolophus]

Departmentally, all our classes are full except for 4, and all of the full courses have waitlists between 50%-100% of the course cap. So we're good on that front.

The university is a little worse off, but it's manageable. Apparently the admin is anticipating we'll be delivering 40% of our courses F2F in 2021-22.

[AmLitHist]

I haven't looked at our CC's district wide numbers, but my sections will all make, except (probably) the F2F/now Live Virtual Lecture (LVL) lit class, and that's fine.

This is surprising, since I have two (online) sections completely full, another online at the "make" number, and my F2F LVL also made; a second-8 weeks online overload section will also make, as it's just one shy of that number already today.  It's surprising because traditionally all my F2F sections make, though it often takes until the last week before classes start; I have the reputation of being haaaaard and meeeeaaaan (probably true in students' eyes, since I actually hold them to deadlines and other policies).

Looking in our department, one other guy (a/k/a "Mr. Easy") has all four of his sections full.  The other four FT faculty and all adjuncts have nearly all their sections sitting in single digits, whether F2F or LVL offerings. I've religiously watched our enrollments via the interactive schedule for years, since being the adjunct faculty coordinator in 2006 and later the department chair, and while our campus' students are always traditionally VERY slow in registering, I've never seen numbers this bad in late July.  And it's no coincidence that the online sections have filled already; both Mr. Easy and I have taught online for 15+ years, and I know students are asking each other for referrals to faculty who are long-term online teachers (rather than those who were tossed into teaching online because of the pandemic).

Theoretically CC's should do big business while other schools' plans remain in flux or they return F2F or hybrid; we'll see if that proves out.  I'm just glad my load is made--one less thing to worry about, even if I'm not wild about doing a section LVL.

[TreadingLife]

20% Of Harvard's First-Year Class Has Deferred
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brandonbusteed/2020/08/07/20-of-harvards-first-year-class-has-deferred/amp/

I should also post this in the positivity thread, because my struggling, small, not-selective LAC was "only" down 25% in terms of first year students.

The real question is who shows up in fall 2021 for anyone.