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University of Toledo’s multi-year enrollment decline accelerated this year, with total student population down more than 1,000 compared to last year, a drop university officials said was “exacerbated by the pandemic.”
That steep drop was in stark contrast with Bowling Green State University, which announced its highest enrollment in a decade. Total headcount was up 1.6 percent, the university said, and its retention rate was the highest in a century.
UT on Thursday announced fall enrollment at 18,438 following its 15-day census a decrease from the 19,782 reported in fall, 2019, a nearly 7 percent reduction. Enrollment in 2018 was 20,304, and at 20,579 the year prior, and the count was 20,648 in 2016.
The university was not alone in its enrollment drop. Owens Community College’s fall enrollment dropped a staggering 22.6 percent, a number school officials said was in flux and in part impacted by a reduction in high school students taking college-level courses.
UT officials said in a statement Thursday that they are “working hard to reverse” the decline and pointed to its 78.5 percent retention rate of second-year students, which the university said was the eighth straight year that rate has improved. The six-year graduation rate was at a record 53.3 percent, the university announced.
“Thanks to the commitment of our faculty and staff in supporting student success, we are experiencing our highest retention and graduation rates in decades,” Provost Karen Bjorkman said in a statement. “We will continue those efforts moving forward while also continuing to develop signature programs and new opportunities to attract additional students to our campuses.”
Of the fall enrollment totals, 14,424 were undergraduate students, with 4,014 graduate and professional students.
There were other bright spots, according to the university. The College of Law, for instance, saw a 6.5 percent increase in students.
Bowling Green’s enrollment was up to 20,232, and its retention rate was 79.4 percent.
“These record enrollment and retention rates demonstrate that Bowling Green State University – a public university for the public good – values our students and our mission to serve the public,” BGSU President Rodney Rogers said in a statement.
The university’s largest growth came in graduate students and in its eCampus program, an all online option. This year’s freshman class has the highest grade point average in school history, at 3.59.
Enrollment at Owens went from 8,282 in 2019 to 6,406, a decline school officials said was expected because of “the concerns and uncertainty that many first-time and returning students are facing because of COVID-19.”
The college will continue to add students through the semester, spokesman Jared Meade said.
“We are currently focusing on what we can do to help alleviate the concerns and uncertainty of students by offering new programs and scholarships that provide additional academic, financial, and personal support students may need to be successful,” he said.
Part of the decrease, he said, was because of high school students in the College Credit Plus program, as well as non-matriculating students.
Lourdes University in Sylvania saw a slight dip in total enrollment, from 1,429 in 2019 to 1,383. Undergraduate enrollment remained essentially flat, increasing by two students to 1,122.
Meanwhile, there were 476 students living on campus, a record for the university and 5.7 percent increase from last year. The university is offering 60 percent of its courses in hybrid or face-to-face formats, according to a spokesman.
Mercy College in Toledo’s UpTown neighborhood also had largely flat enrollment. In 2019, there were 1,558 students enrolled in the college, and there were 1,554 in this fall’s census, including 207 students dual enrolled at partner schools.
“Given the challenges we have faced the last six months with COVID-19, I’m pleased that enrollment has remained steady and that the fall semester is off to great start,” President Susan Wajert said.
Mercy is conducting lectures online while labs and clinical assignments are done face-to-face.
