The University of Akron fall enrollment is down 8 percent, but “extra effort” helped the school avoid “a much steeper decline.”
That’s the word from UA Interim President Matthew J. Wilson in a letter emailed to the “campus community” Tuesday evening.
The total enrollment of 23,152 reported on “Census Day,” represents a decline of 2,025 students, down 8 percent, from the fall 2015 numbers.
The 23,152 includes 3,442 entering freshmen.
“It is gratifying that within recent weeks, the hard work of the Admissions team and many others throughout the University family has helped mitigate what was looking to be a much steeper decline,” Wilson said in the letter.
UA trustees named Wilson interim president in July to replace Scott Scarborough, who resigned May 31 after less than two tumultuous years on the job.
Scarborough was criticized for enrollment declines and decisions, including rebranding the school as “Ohio’s polytechnic university” and dismantling the baseball team.
Wilson noted in his letter that the total grew by 4 percentage points just in the past two months.
“That extra effort has paid off,” he said.
Wilson said two “principal reasons” are to blame for the 8 percent decline: A larger number of students graduating from UA during the last several academic years and a sharp decrease in the number of new freshmen.
“We are excited to see more UA students receiving their degrees,” Wilson said. “At the same time, that larger number does have an impact on our overall enrollment.”
He said the 2016 fall freshmen enrollment of 3,442 is down from 4,278 for fall 2015.
Wilson, who was previously the dean of UA’s law school, pointed out other freshmen enrollment data:
• The average GPA for freshmen was 3.44, the highest average in UA’s history for freshmen.
• The ACT score of 23.3 for this fall freshman cohort remains the same as fall 2015.
• The percentage of minority students in the entering freshman class increased from 23.1 percent last year to 25.1 percent this year.
• New freshmen enrolled in the Williams Honors College totaled 589, compared to last year’s 640, and represents the largest percentage in UA history (17 percent) of the entering freshman class.
• Total Williams Honors College enrollment now stands at 2,025, the largest in UA history and represents 10.4 percent of total undergraduate enrollment, the largest since the founding of the Honors College.
• The percentage of out-of-state entering freshman students increased to 9.3 percent from 5.7 percent two years ago.
• Overall, campus-wide enrollment reflects a total of 45 states and U.S. territories and 92 foreign countries, both increases from the prior year.
Wilson already has won plaudits for his efforts at reaching out to the campus community and the community at large.
Wilson said in his letter he has started a round of visits to principals at area high schools.
“I can tell you they are eager to hear more about UA and the ways in which their students can advance their learning and their careers by attending UA,” he said.
Go to www.ohio.com later for updates.