2011-12 enrollment numbers

[setshot]

What is the size of this year's freshman class? Are the ACT/SAT/GPA numbers better than last year? What is our overall undergraduate enrollment? Any other info. would be appreciated. Thanks!

[vu72]

I don't remember the exact numbers, but the class is larger than the previous year and one of the biggest in several years.  The GPA/ACT/SAT numbers are higher than the previous year.  I think the total undergrad number is about 3200.

[agibson]

I don't know that the official numbers are out yet.  I think the "census" was taken just this last weekend: after people have a chance to show up, or not show up, etc.  The unofficial numbers I heard for undergraduates were 712 freshmen and 175 transfers.  The biggest class since 2003 (though not as big as they'd hoped).

[vu72]

I just came across a note from an admissions person back a month or so ago. That message indicated that the freshman class would be up 25-30 from the previous year and that transfers would be up 15-20.  Both are increases for the third straight year.  The totals will be the highest since 2003 and very near the 903 number from that year.

As mentioned earlier, SAT/GPA stats are higher than last year which continues a positive trend.

[78crusader]

Did the university release the fall 2011 enrollment numbers?  In the past, they would release this information a couple weeks after school started.  Why is this all of a sudden top-secret information? 

Paul

[okinawatyphoon]

Did the university release the fall 2011 enrollment numbers?  In the past, they would release this information a couple weeks after school started.  Why is this all of a sudden top-secret information? 

Paul

The numbers from the census have probably been released, but maybe we just don't have anyone to post them. I am no longer working there, otherwise I would have the numbers.

[agibson]

As you say, Paul, the numbers should definitely be calculated by now.  I've not seen a copy myself.  I'm not sure exactly how they're handled.

They seem to be at least sort of dribbled out to the faculty (through department chairs, faculty meetings, etc.).  I'm not sure if there is a comprehensive report (probably there is?) or who gets a copy.  I'm also not sure how "public" the information is.  It's not the sort of thing I'd expect to find, in detail, on a public admissions page.  But, maybe they wouldn't object to making it available to e.g. alumni.  You could certainly ask admissions.  

I'll try to ask around as well, but no promises.  They're certainly discussed among the faculty.  Lately the hot issues have been the very ambitious growth plans, whether we're on track to meeting them, and also some concern about the retention rate.  The retention rate's apparently been dipping a few percentage points in recent years.  Like all data like this, it's a complicated thing, and there are many factors (economy, composition of the student body, etc, etc.).  I don't think a dip of a percent or two is a huge issue, but if it becomes a trend it's a concern.  And, of course, we want to attract and retain good students.

[valporun]

I wonder if vu72, as a member of the Valpo Admissions Network of Ambassadors at College Fairs would have these details?

[vu72]

I wonder if vu72, as a member of the Valpo Admissions Network of Ambassadors at College Fairs would have these details?

Funny you should ask!  I'm doing a college fair Monday night and just got my briefcase.  Typically it includes a page of student statistics.  I'll look when I get home tonight.

[okinawatyphoon]

I wonder if vu72, as a member of the Valpo Admissions Network of Ambassadors at College Fairs would have these details?

Funny you should ask!  I'm doing a college fair Monday night and just got my briefcase.  Typically it includes a page of student statistics.  I'll look when I get home tonight.

Neat! I used to put together those briefcases a couple years ago, so if my memory serves me right, it should be one of the first pages inside the binder. I want to cover some college fairs being a young alum, but we don't attract too many students from North Dakota.

[agibson]

North Dakota's part of the Lutheran* heartland!  But, not so densely populated.

*Of the Scandinavian, ELCA type, at least.

As for admissions, I'm told that they're actually still crunching the numbers.
I'm told that the final "common data set" will appear at
http://www.valpo.edu/registrar/statistics.php
sometime in the next few weeks.

I've not had a look at what that means, but you can check out the reports from the last ten years or so.

Does it contain the information you're after?

I think the page should be publicly accessible.

[vu72]

Just looked at the book and found that they are still using information labeled "2010-2011 Enrollment Facts".

In any event, we can at least use these as a starting point to see where changes have occurred once the new facts are released:

2010-2011 Enrollment Facts

Undergrad 2875
Grad          611
Law           575
Total        4061

Freshman Class

2970 admitted from 4070 applications.  692 enrolled.
37% Lutheran
26% Roman Catholic
48/52 male/female
Indiana residents 38%
Foreign students  3% from 11 countires.
17% minorities

Average GPA:  3.52/4.00
SAT mid-range 50%  1480-1810
ACT mid-range  23-29
32% in top 10% of graduating class
65% in top 25%

General Student Info
64%  Arts and Science
14%  Business
11%  Engineering
11%  Nursing
80 new students (from freshman class) in Christ College
30% Greek
66% live on Campus
20 programs in 11 countires for study abroad
82% freshman retention rate versus 78% nationally
74% graduate in five years versus 52% nationally

Cost

Tuition        $28,590
General Fee       992
Room             5,150
Board            3,180
Total          $37,912

That all I've got!  I'll post new stats as soon as I see anything.  President Heckler did say, at the Opening Convocation, that the new freshman class had stats that were better than these.

[valpopal]

In my conversations with administrators at the beginning of the semester, I was told that the overall enrollment appeared to be up slightly, with some more freshmen and transfers, as well as more grad students, but that the increased enrollment was not quite as large as hoped because the retention rate was down a bit. I was also told the academic level of the incoming class, as marked by SAT & ACT scores, was a touch higher. Unfortunately, I don't remember the specific numbers that were mentioned. Perhaps final numbers will be available after October 10, which is the deadline for withdrawing from the university and still receiving partial refund.

[valpotx]

Wow, more men than women now!

[vu72]

Wow, more men than women now!

Sorry guys.  Got that backwards.  Fixed now!

[vuweathernerd]

Wow, more men than women now!

Sorry guys.  Got that backwards.  Fixed now!

i was gonna say. lol. my freshman year (06-07), the ratio was closer to 55-45 females. that would have been a pretty drastic change in a short period of time.

[agibson]

Perhaps final numbers will be available after October 10, which is the deadline for withdrawing from the university and still receiving partial refund.

I believe that they're done taking data, but are still processing it.  Who knows - I didn't get into all the details.

[78crusader]

Agibson, vu72, weathernerd, okinawa, valpopal or anyone else --

why are the retention numbers relatively low compared to our peers?  What is going on?  What is the reason for this?  And what is VU doing about it?

I've got some thoughts on why our retention numbers are where they are, but I wanted to get your input on this. 

Paul

[valpopal]

Agibson, vu72, weathernerd, okinawa, valpopal or anyone else --

why are the retention numbers relatively low compared to our peers?  What is going on?  What is the reason for this?  And what is VU doing about it?

I've got some thoughts on why our retention numbers are where they are, but I wanted to get your input on this. 

Paul

I do not know that Valpo's retention rate is "relatively low" next to comparable schools (small, non-urban, religious, academically challenging, and very expensive). I am told there is study being done on campus about the retention rate; however, the initial reasons are believed to be the usual ones.

Valpo has a very expensive tuition difficult to maintain during an extended economic downturn. VU has recently done more outreach to minority and inner-city students whose backgrounds often include a lower economic level and high schools that did not prepare them fully for Valpo's academic challenges. Students from urban areas, particularly minorities, find themselves less comfortable in the social setting on a campus in a small Indiana town. The larger enrollment numbers of non-Lutherans do not have as much of a tie to Valpo, and the draw of a religious school is not as strong as it once was. Fewer students attending Valpo are from families who previously had Valpo grads; therefore, loyalty to Valpo is less than in the past. Finally, the current generation, used to quick Google-like results in various aspects of life, is less patient and more likely to move on quickly to examine other college options.

[agibson]

Finally, the current generation, used to quick Google-like results in various aspects of life, is less patient and more likely to move on quickly to examine other college options.

As we've seen on the basketball court, I suppose!

For me the retention numbers are basically a-contextual.  If anyone has numbers from other schools, peers or not, I'd be curious to see them. 

[sliman]

It's my recollection that Valpo's retention rate historically has been as good as if not better than most of its peers and probably remains that way even if it's dropped slightly in the past couple of years.  I believe retention (along with graduation rate) is one of the factors used in the US News analysis for its rankings.  If anyone has past copies of the magazines with the rankings they might be able to confirm or discredit my memory.

[vu72]

I just checked Butler and Loyola.  Butler has a freshman retention rate of 88% and Loyola 83.9%.  These compare to Valpo's 82%.

It is our graduation rate that is most impressive. Loyola and Butler publish 6 year graduation rates of 66.3% and 71% respectively. Valpo has a 5 year graduation rate of 74%.

[78crusader]

Going from memory here, but I seem to recall VU's freshman retention rate in years past, as reported by US News, was around the 82-84% figure, although I think one year we dipped down to 81-82%.  I also seem to remember this wasn't quite as good as the 3 or 4 schools in our category (Creighton, Butler, Xavier) that rank ahead of us -- they were all around 87-88%.  There isn't much variability -- I think the vast majority of schools that rank below us are in the 75-79% retention rate.  So, if we had a dip this past year to 80%, for instance, that is a big drop.  I hope that's not the case.

If these figures are accurate, then even though it is a small statistical difference, it adds up -- if 5% more freshmen transfer than our peer institutions (assuming we're at 83% and, for instance, Creighton is at 88%), that's 35 more kids leaving out of a freshman class of 700.  Which means, of course, that admissions has to work that much harder just to maintain enrollment, let alone increase enrollment.

I get the fact that VU costs a lot, but so do our peer institutions, so cost alone cannot be the reason we are having retention issues.  

Paul

[agibson]

The Valpo numbers are up for the last dozen years at the website previously mentioned,

http://www.valpo.edu/registrar/statistics.php

(Nothing new yet, just reminding that the Valpo numbers are out there.)  I'll paste the retention numbers in below.  2010 wasn't the lowest in the dataset, but 2009 and 2010 together were the lowest two years.  I think that when the 2011 numbers come out, they'll be slightly lower than 2010.

I don't think it's a crisis, but as Paul says, if we want to increase enrollment, it makes the hill we have to climb a little bit higher.  Every student who leaves has to be replaced by a transfer, a graduate student, a freshman, etc.

Retention numbers for last decade.
Last year's freshmen returning in 2010 81.5%
in 2009 82.9%
in 2008 84.7%
in 2007 84.9%
in 2006 81.3%
in 2005 84%
in 2004 85.9%
in 2003 86.2%
in 2002 88%
in 2001 86%
in 2000 82.5%
in 1999 86%

[vuweathernerd]

all i can do is speculate on this, especially since i'm no longer on campus. in many cases, the friends that i have that transferred out (which honestly isn't many) wanted a more focused degree program in an area where valpo may be a bit lacking. others had res life issues, or just decided that a small, religiously affiliated university really wasn't for them. but many times they've told me that it's a combination of factors together that ultimately result in their departure from valpo.

one number that counteracts this possible lack of retention is the incoming transfers. i know people that came in as sophomores and even a couple as juniors because the programs they wanted were stronger and/or had better opportunities than their original schools.