The first-year group had an average ACT score of 28.9, according to university estimates. That would represent the 20th consecutive year of increase. In 1995, the university’s incoming class had a 22.8 average ACT score when its Columbus campus went to a more selective admission policy, and every year since its average score has inched up.
Last month, former OSU President Gordon Gee told this newspaper that the move helped to attract students.
Central State University, Miami University and Wright State University all say enrollment should increase in 2015.
“The story surrounding the Class of 2019 is simply amazing. The year began with a record number of applications for admission,” said Susan Schaurer, Miami University assistant vice president of enrollment management in a prepared statement.
About 35 percent of Miami’s incoming students graduated in the top 10 percent of their classes, with an average ACT score of 28.1.
Economy’s role
Local universities say the economy is a huge driver of enrollment. At Wright State, enrollment jumped from 2009 through 2011, as the local and national economy sputtered.
“There was a significant amount of job loss in region. You have homegrown NCR, and places like the GM plant closing, and everything that followed,” said Mary Ellen Ashley, vice president for enrollment management at Wright State.
She says the job losses pushed up Wright State’s enrollment.
National experts say as an economy falls, workers’ employment prospects worsen and some look at higher education as a place to improve employment likelihood.
Meanwhile, the “phenomenon” works in reverse: As the economy improves, workers have more employment options and less pressing need for postsecondary credentials.
International up
For a handful of local schools, the number of international students increased. The share of students from other countries jumped to 12 percent at University of Dayton, and 8.4 percent at Miami.
The Ohio Department of Higher Education reported that nearly 30,000 international student-visa holders are enrolled at Ohio’s colleges and universities, up about 10 percent since 2008. The state estimates those students provide $827 million in annual economic impact.
Last month, the state introduced the Global Reach to Engage Academic Talent initiative, with a goal of increasing the share of international college students in Ohio from 4.1 percent to 6 percent. The state says that would generate an estimated $1.2 billion and support 17,000 jobs.
UD success story
The University of Dayton’s classrooms and dorms are bustling with what the school says is its all-time largest undergraduate population.
The school expects its full-time undergraduate enrollment to jump nearly 5 percent to 8,300 this year, with about 60 percent of those students coming from outside Ohio.
UD is among a handful of local colleges and universities that are estimating record headcounts.
“Demand continues to be high because of our reputation and the value of a University of Dayton education,” said Jason Reinoehl, interim vice president for enrollment management and marketing.
UD officials attribute the enrollment record to the school’s increase in retention. The university set a retention record this year — retaining 91 percent of its freshmen students from last school year.
Reinoehl says the university’s four-year tuition plan gives students financial certainty, and helps bring them back for their second year. That plan promises that scholarships and grants will increase each year to offset any tuition increases, eliminates fees and offers up to $4,000 over four years for books.
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