Enrollment Insight from University Presidents
Top 10 Things You Need to Know from This Week’s 2018 Survey of University Presidents
This week, Inside Higher Ed launched their annual survey of University of College Presidents. Admistered by Gallup, the survey gauged university presidents on a range of issues, including forecasts on enrollment numbers and changes in higher education. Here’s are top 10 list of enrollment and admission insights from the latest report.
The percentage of presidents “very concerned” about meeting undergraduate enrollment goals was down from a year ago.
Presidents predict there will be additional closures in 2018, with 30 percent believing there will be one to ve closures this year, while another 40 percent foresee 6 to 10 colleges closing. Twenty-nine percent of presidents think a larger number of colleges will shut down, including 10 percent who think the number will be in excess of 20 colleges.
No public doctoral university president sees a merger or closing in their institution’s future, but between 13 percent and 15 percent of leaders at other types of colleges do.
One in eight college chief executives predict their own institution could fold or combine in the next five years!
A majority of presidents express confidence that their institution will be financially stable over a decade.
Private college presidents (76 percent) remain far more likely than public college presidents (35 percent) to say they are very or somewhat concerned about enrolling enough students who do not need institutional aid. Private college leaders are also far more concerned about giving too much aid to students who do not need it than public college presidents are, 68 percent to 38 percent.
Public doctoral college presidents (52 percent) are least concerned about enrolling their target number of undergraduates, while private baccalaureate college presidents are most concerned (93 percent).
Sixty-three percent of public doctoral college presidents are very or somewhat concerned about enrolling more Pell Grant-eligible students. No more than 48 percent of leaders of other types of colleges are concerned.
A majority of college presidents expect to see an increase in tuition resets at private institutions and tuition freezes at public institutions. They view tuition resets as more of a gimmick than a viable long-term strategy and believe tuition freezes can be damaging to public institutions without additional state funding.
Recent closures make it more likely a trend of private college consolidation has started. Institutions feeling particular pressure are small colleges, those in the Midwest and Roman Catholic institutions located away from Catholic population centers. INSIDE HIGHER ED (11/13/17