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Oct. 3 was the 30th day of fall classes at St. Cloud State. The 30th day gives the university a consistent benchmark to compare enrollment across terms.
The numbers outlined below are the official enrollment headcount of students who are taking credit-based courses on the 30th day of the fall semester. The university experienced increases in graduate students, students of color and international students and saw the impact of increased credit-taking behavior.
Credit-taking Behavior
One of the highlights regarding fall 2016 enrollment is the increase in students’ credit-taking behavior. For both undergraduate and graduate degree-seeking students, average credits attempted increased this fall. With research showing that enrolling full-time correlates to better retention and graduation rates, the University has made it a priority to advise students on the benefits of increasing their credit load.
For the first time since 2009, there are more undergraduate students attempting 15 credits than 12 credits. Although the difference may seem small, the increase of 0.4 credits for freshman students equates to 1,000 additional credits attempted.
Table 1. Average credits attempted by degree-seeking students (click to enlarge)
Headcount and FYE Enrollment
Figure 1. Total student headcount (click to enlarge)
To get an overall look at our current enrollment picture, both headcount enrollment and full-year equivalent (FYE) enrollment are used. The measure of headcount treats every student equally. Every student that is enrolled for one of more credits is one headcount. FYE works a little differently and factors in student credit hours. The equation for calculating FYE is the sum of undergraduate credits divided by 30 plus the sum of graduate credits divided by 20, or:
This means that an undergraduate student enrolled in 15 credits during the fall semester will count as 0.5 FYE, but a student enrolled in three credits will only count as 0.1 FYE.
Figure 2. Total student FYE (click to enlarge)
Fall 2016 headcount enrollment declined by 2.4 percent to 15,092 students. This decline was mostly influenced by a decrease in both first-time students and returning students.
FYE enrollment is also down compared to 2015, but at a smaller rate. Due to students attempting more credits, FYE enrollment is only down 1.5 percent. This is the sixth consecutive fall semester with a decline in FYE enrollment after hitting a high in fall 2010.
New Undergraduate Student Enrollment
Figure 3. NEF and NET headcount (click to enlarge)
St. Cloud State enrolled a slightly smaller class of first-time students (NEF) compared to last year. This year’s NEF class, or the Class of 2020, has 1,798 students, 65 fewer students than fall 2015.
New entering transfer (NET) student enrollment remained steady compared to fall 2015, enrolling 1,038 transfer students. However, St. Cloud State’s primary transfer institutions experience enrollment declines.
The most notable aspect of new student enrollment in fall 2016 was the increase in international students. Combined, the NEF and NET classes consist of 308 new international students. This is the most new undergraduate international students St. Cloud State has ever enrolled.
Graduate Student Enrollment
Figure 5. Total graduate student headcount (click to enlarge)
For the third consecutive fall semester, graduate student headcount has increased. The 1.4 percent increase over fall 2015 brings total graduate student headcount to 1,856 students. This is only the fourth time that St. Cloud State graduate enrollment has exceeded 1,800 students, which was also accomplished in 2009, 2010 and 2015.
For about 25 percent of St. Cloud State’s graduate students, fall 2016 is their first semester enrolled in graduate education at St. Cloud State.
A Focus on Diversity
For the 17th consecutive year, the number of students of color (SOC) enrolled has increased. This fall, SOC headcount enrollment is 2,546 students, which is 16.9 percent of the total student body.
International student enrollment also experienced large gains in fall 2016. Overall, international student headcount increased by 18 percent bringing the total headcount to 1,383. This is by far the highest international student headcount enrollment ever at St. Cloud State. The previous high was recorded last year with 1,172 International students enrolled.
Figure 6. Students of color and international student enrollment as a percent of total enrollment (click to enlarge)
Student Unmet Need and the Effect on Retention
The retention rate for first-time students who entered St. Cloud State last year landed at 69 percent. Many factors influence a student’s decision to return to school for their second year. At St. Cloud State, our students’ financial situation is a primary factor. One measure of our students’ financial situation is their unmet need. Student unmet need, or financial gap, is a measure of a student’s cost of attendance minus their ability to pay for that cost. Their ability to pay includes family income and their financial aid package (loans, grants and scholarships). Students have multiple options to cover that unmet need, but taking out private loans or working off campus are common practices.
Just over half of St. Cloud State’s first-time students have some level of unmet need, which has remained consistent across years. However, the fall 2015 first-time student (NEF) class had a nearly 30% increase in the number of students with high unmet need ($4,000+). Students with high unmet need have historically been retained at lower rates, but last year’s NEF returned at much lower rates than expected. Only 58 percent of students with high unmet returned for fall 2016 compared to 66 percent returning in the prior year. The 30 percent increase in students with high unmet need and the subsequent drop in their retention in one of the primary reasons for the drop in overall student retention.
Table 2. Unmet need (click to enlarge)
About the data scientist: Brent Donnay is the director of analytics and business intelligence in the Office of Strategy, Planning and Effectiveness at St. Cloud State University.
