YSU - Student enrollment stands at 12,873

FALL TERM
1,300 accepted at YSU didn't show -- why?
Student enrollment stands at 12,873, down 1.4 percent from a year ago.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State University wants to know why 1,300 undergraduate students accepted for enrollment this fall chose not to attend YSU.
That number is "a bit higher" than normal but not significantly higher, Dr. Cynthia Anderson, vice president for student affairs, said Thursday.
The university had 5,560 applicants for this fall, which is average, and accepted 4,559 of them. However, 1,300 of those who were accepted ultimately didn't register for classes, Anderson said.
Some may have chosen to attend other colleges, and some may have found employment that has temporarily delayed their educational plans, Anderson said.
It isn't really a large number, but the university needs to track the trend to find a pattern, she said.
Dr. Thomas Maraffa, special assistant to the president, said the university isn't sure what impact the faculty and classified employees strikes just before the start of classes had on enrollment. A more extensive review of the enrollment figures will be done after the 14th day of classes, he said.
Will ask them
Anderson's office intends to send a short questionnaire to each of those students to find out what happened and to determine if there is anything YSU should be doing to encourage future accepted students to follow through with enrollment here, she said.
More and more students are applying late for college admissions, and statistics show that the average student applies to six institutions of higher learning, Anderson said.
Many of those who were accepted at YSU but chose not to register may simply have chosen to attend another school, she said.
YSU also had 94 graduate students who were accepted but didn't register. They will be sent a similar questionnaire, Anderson said.
Enrollment figures
Current enrollment of full- and part-time students stood at 12,873 as of Wednesday, down 1.4 percent from the 13,054 recorded at this time last year, said Maraffa.
That translates into 10,454 full-time equivalents, as compared to FTE of 10,544 at this time last year, he said.
The university's general fund budget is based on an FTE of 10,414 for this year, and, if current trends hold, the university can expect an FTE of 10,429 on the 14th day of classes, the official count day, Maraffa said.
The total head count should peak at around 12,900, he said, down from the 13,101 enrolled at the official count a year ago, he said.