HIGHER EDUCATION ENROLLMENT SETS ANOTHER RECORD FOR FALL 2009 SEMESTER
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (October 7, 2009) - The Arkansas Department of Higher Education released the preliminary headcount and full-time equivalent enrollment at public and independent Arkansas colleges and universities for the fall 2009 semester with another record-setting headcount enrollment of more than 154,089 college students. Another 11,112 high school students are enrolled in the fall semester to make a total enrollment of 165,201 students.
“Enrollment in higher education in Arkansas has continued to increase every year, which is a strong indication of the value Arkansans place on education,” said Dr. Jim Purcell, director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education. “Especially in these difficult economic times, we believe that students see the value of education more than ever, and along with increases in enrollment, we hope to see corresponding increases in retention and graduation rates. Greater success in education will bring about greater success in the modern economy.”
Dr. Purcell added that while the fall headcount enrollment is an important measure of the effectiveness of higher education, it is just one of many measures that are tracked. For example, most Arkansas institutions of higher education offer a wide range of for-credit workforce education operating on a different schedule than the traditional fall semester; this headcount is not included in traditional fall headcount enrollment statistics.
Total Statewide Opening Fall Preliminary Enrollment of On-Schedule, For-Credit Students: Total preliminary headcount enrollment in public and independent higher education institutions is the highest ever at 165,201 students, which is 6.3 percent higher than 2008 and 17.2 percent higher than 2005. Total enrollment includes more than 11,000 high school students across the state who are taking college credit courses prior to graduation.
Public Two-Year Colleges: In total headcount, 20 of the 22 public two-year colleges experienced enrollment increases. College student enrollment at the two-year colleges also set a record with 52,569students, a one-year increase of 13.1 percent. Since 2005, enrollment in this sector has increased 27.4 percent. Enrollment of high school students in two-year colleges, accounted for an additional 7,127 students.
Four colleges: Arkansas State University-Newport, Mid-South Community College in West Memphis, University of Arkansas Community College at Hope, and the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton experienced overall one-year enrollment increases greater than 20 percent of college student (non-high school) enrollment. Part of the driving force behind enrollment increases at ASU-Newport is likely the merging of the Newport and Marked Tree campuses.
Public Universities: Nine of the 11 public universities experienced enrollment increases. Again, headcount enrollment is higher than ever at 86,132 college students (non-high school), a one-year increase of four percent. Since 2005, total enrollment for public universities has increased 12.0 percent overall, with enrollment of non-high school students up 9.3 percent. Six universities experienced one-year enrollment increases greater than five percent. The leaders in this category are Arkansas Tech University with a 10.8 percent one-year increase in non-high school enrollments, and the University of Arkansas at Monticello with a 9.3 percent increase. Of all universities, only Henderson State University and the University of Central Arkansas experienced enrollment declines.
Independent Colleges and Universities: Independent institutions also saw increased enrollment over last year with 15,388 non-high school students enrolled, up 3.9 percent over last year and up 14.9 percent since 2005. High school student enrollment accounted for an additional 129 students.
Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Enrollment: FTE enrollment measures the total number of credit hours in which full- and part-time students enroll. Statewide FTE enrollment at public colleges and universities is also at an all-time high with 124,292, up from 119,061 last year.
Although college enrollments have been steadily rising in Arkansas, Dr. Purcell said the current economic downturn could be driving the increases even further. As part of a coordinated effort on the part of Gov. Mike Beebe’s Workforce Cabinet, the Department of Workforce Services (DWS) sent out 70,000 letters to recipients of unemployment compensation in August encouraging them to go back to school.
“It’s not unusual to see such increases during difficult economic times,” said Dr. Purcell. “Gov. Beebe is committed to getting the workforce prepared to compete at a higher level nationally and internationally, and to that end we are working with other agencies in the state to anticipate and fill the needs of employers.”
Artee Williams, director of DWS, said those who have been affected by the economic downturn have a good opportunity now to enhance their skills.
“Now is a good time for people to go to college or to stay in college to better position themselves for the jobs that are going to come once the economy begins to recover,” said Williams. “At DWS, one of our goals is to assist people in the short term during times like these, but we really want to encourage everyone to look at the long term, work to educate themselves, and build a better future for their families and for our state.”
Preliminary headcount and FTE enrollment spreadsheets for fall 2009 are attached. For more information about the Arkansas Department of Higher Education, visit www.arkansashighered.com or call (501) 371-2000.