Enrollment increase | Photo by Monica Brutto | The Wright State Guardian
Wright State University shows an increase in first year enrollment numbers after implementing new strategies to enlarge the student population.
Numbers trend upward
President Sue Edwards’ report at the September Board of Trustees meeting showed changes in campus life and fall semester enrollment numbers.
Enrollment at Wright State has been on the decline in previous years, according to the president’s report. WSU census data shows a first-year undergraduate population of 1,452 in fall 2020 decreasing to 1,394 in fall 2021.
This semester, those numbers have risen. Fall 2022 census data shows the first-year population at 1,541. Susan Schaurer, vice president of enrollment management, explained that a number of factors may have led to the increase.
“From expanding our recruitment activities with high school, transfer and international students, to ensuring consistent and targeted messaging regarding the value of a Wright State degree, there were numerous aligned strategies that likely contributed to the increases,” Schaurer explained.
A universal increase
Data from other Ohio universities shows differing patterns.
The Ohio State University in Columbus reported a new first year student population of 8,602 in fall 2020 decreased to 8,350 in fall 2021.
While Ohio State has not released fall 2022 census data, a news release reports that enrollment is down following efforts to decrease the record-breaking new first year student numbers at OSU’s main campus amidst pandemic concerns.
In Athens, Ohio University’s first-year enrollment numbers reflect a different change.
While total university enrollment fell 2.8 percent between 2020 and 2021, first-year student numbers rose from 3,126 to 3,664. This upward trend seems to continue this year, as OU welcomed 4,441 new students for fall 2022, according to the university.
Moving forward
Schaurer provided tactics for the future of WSU enrollment growth.
“Efforts and energies will continue to focus on increasing Wright State’s visibility within the region and in key markets around the state with the goal of increasing enrollment,” Schaurer said.
Schaurer cited relationships with high school counselors and other influencers, as well as WSU’s leadership in economic mobility, as paths to increased enrollment. Schaurer affirmed that the university will monitor multiple avenues of data collection and trends to continue this upward movement in the future.
