LINCOLN, Neb.—While the state’s public universities and colleges are enjoying enrollment increases, numbers are down at several of Nebraska’s private schools.
The cause may or may not be related to the economy.
“We don’t have any hard and fast data on that,” Union College vice president Rob Weaver told the Lincoln Journal Star. “But we have anecdotal stories. In a down year, it would make sense that families would be affected by (private schools’ costs).
“They might say, ‘Wow, I’m not going to spend that extra money.'”
Union College’s enrollment is 914 this fall after reaching a 24-year high of 1,015 last year. Nebraska Wesleyan’s undergraduate enrollment dropped from 1,628 last fall to 1,606 and Doane’s from 909 to 888.
“Most of the country is holding its breath, and we’re no different,” said Patty Karthauser, Wesleyan vice president for enrollment and marketing. “We haven’t seen a marked impact from the economy—yet. The question is, what will happen down the road? We’ll prepare for what may come.”
Hastings College bucks the trend with a record enrollment of 1,146 when classes began Aug. 25.
Kim Jacobs, Doane’s vice president of enrollment management and student leadership, said the declines at the small schools are cause for concern.
“We’re never happy to hold our own or drop a little bit,” she said. “Our goal is to grow.”
Jacobs said Doane is focusing on its marketing efforts to communicate to prospective students the benefits of a small, close-knit private school.
Doane also is trying to recruit more aggressively out of state as well as from community colleges, where an increasing number of students are beginning their college careers.
Trying to woo out-of-state students is difficult, Jacobs said, because students tend to want to stay closer to home if the economy is tough.
“It’s going to be a year in which we all test ourselves,” she said.
Though enrollment is down, leaders at Union, Wesleyan and Doane noted positive trends such as rising average entrance-exam scores and grade-point averages and increased diversity.
At Wesleyan, 96 percent of students receive financial aid. Karthauser said aid opportunities are a recruiting tool to help reduce “sticker shock” for prospective students.
Union College changed its financial aid program this year. Weaver, vice president of enrollment and student financial services, said the change might have contributed to the enrollment drop.
Previously, Union students received most of their aid during their freshman and sophomore years. Now the aid is more evenly divided between a student’s four years.
Weaver said so-called “front-loading” financial aid might have negatively impacted Union’s ability to bring in first-year students.
“But we think over time it’ll help us, he said.
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Information from: Lincoln Journal Star,
