The Washington Post ran a story last month about declining enrollment at the majority of colleges and universities in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, the newspaper’s core market. I was a bit surprised by the degree of enrollment erosion. I had served as a college president in this region and, therefore, am generally aware of the enrollment challenges. Frankly, they’re not as steep as they are in some other parts of the country. The demographic trends aren’t terrible, and the employment and income profile of the prospect pool is better than most regions.
Nonetheless, as The Post points out, nearly two-thirds of the institutions have lower enrollments this year compared to the 2012-13 academic year. One-quarter of the schools have lost more than 5% of their students since 2010. Some have lost more than 10%.
Hollins University, a women’s college in Virginia, has experienced a 27% decline. Virginia Intermont is down 35% and, according to its president, is looking for a merger partner. Good luck with that. (For more on Virginia Intermont, see this, this and this post).
Even St. John’s College, the highly regarded liberal arts college in Annapolis, has seen 9% of its enrollment erode since 2010. Christopher Nelson, president of St. John’s, was quoted as saying, “The competition is fierce.”
It’s odd, but not surprising, that someone didn’t say, “The prices are too high.”
I’m perplexed by the enrollment strategies of some of these schools. I’m surprised they’re willing to accept enrollment losses when so much of their costs are fixed. Enrollment slides are risky business for colleges. Heading down that path is fraught with perils.
Filling your class shouldn’t be an impossible task in this market, assuming your pricing is right. But, then again, that’s a big assumption to make.
The following elements are necessary to be successful in college enrollment: Continue reading
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