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On Oct. 8, the university reached the 30th day of classes for fall 2018. The 30th day gives us a consistent benchmark to compare enrollment across terms.
The numbers outlined below are the unofficial enrollment headcount of students who are taking credit-based courses on the 30th day of the fall semester. The numbers will be official once they are verified by Minnesota State.
Headcount and FYE enrollment
To get an overall look at the university’s current enrollment picture, both headcount enrollment and full-year equivalent (FYE) enrollment is captured and analyzed on the 30th day. 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 3 credits will only count as 0.1 FYE.
Fall 2018 headcount enrollment declined by 7.9 percent to 13,467 students. FYE enrollment is down 6.1%.
As expected, the 30-day enrollment numbers reflect a decline for fall semester, yet is well within the budget contingency projections for fiscal year 2019. The primary contributor to the lower than expected FYE enrollment was a decrease in our new undergraduate student enrollment. On the positive side, a large increase in new student retention helped alleviate any larger losses in FYE enrollment.
Student retention
The most positive news regarding fall 2018 enrollment is the increase in our first-time, full-time student retention. This fall retention increased by 5.2 percentage points to 71.7 percent. By far the largest single year increase since at least fall 1999. Retention was expected to increase since the fall-to-spring retention for the fall 2017 students increased by 3 percentage points. However, that increase grew to over 5 percentage points for the fall-to-fall retention. For only the fourth time since 2000, the university retained 80 percent of students between their second term and their third term.
Credit-taking behavior
Undergraduate students are taking on average 13.3 credits this semester. This year, 45% of undergraduate students are attempting 15 or more credits, again, the same as fall 2017. By comparison, five years ago in fall 2014 only 33% of undergraduate students were attempting 15 or more credits.
New Undergraduate Student Headcount Enrollment
The number of first-time (NEF) students enrolling at St. Cloud State saw another sharp decline with 1,293 students enrolling. This is a decline of 216 students, or 14 percent, compared to fall 2017.
Transfer-in (NET) student enrollment declined compared to fall 2017, enrolling 915 transfer students, a decline of 9 precent.
Graduate student enrollment
Graduate enrollment saw a slight dip after three consecutive years above 1,800 students. In fall 2018, graduate enrollment decreased by 2.2 precent to 1,786 students. The number of new entering graduate students decreased by 1.5 precent, or 7 students. The number of doctoral students remained flat with 135 students enrolled. Student of color enrollment in graduate programs increased slightly, while the number of white students and international students both decreased.
A focus on diversity
For the 19th consecutive year the proportion of students of color relative to our total enrollment has increased. This fall, student of color headcount enrollment is 2,608 students, which characterizes 19.4 precent of the total student body.
International student enrollment experienced a decrease of 8 percent this fall. International student headcount is 1,349, a drop of 117 students compared to last year. International students make up 10 precent of the total student body.
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.
