In an era of constrained budgets, it is critical that enrollment meets the goals set forth in the university’s SRAC process. By registering 22,769 students for fall 2017 classes, DePaul exceeded its budgeted target by 418 students, or nearly 2 percent. It’s important to note that overall enrollment, while exceeding projections, is 341 students fewer than last year. This is the resu
lt of cumulative declines in some programs since enrollment peaked in 2011.
“The competitive landscape continues to intensify, and demographic and economic forecasts in the region are unfavorable. These conditions introduce additional uncertainty into the enrollment planning process,” explains David Kalsbeek, senior vice president for Enrollment Management and Marketing. “To meet our enrollment targets in this environment is a significant accomplishment and reflects the great work and effort of the entire university community.”
Below are highlights from the final enrollment data for fall quarter based on the Sept. 23, 2017, census.
Overall Enrollment- Total university enrollment is 22,769 students, 2 percent over the budgeted goal of 22,351. Credit hours are 283,408, which exceeds budgeted projections by 2 percent.
- Undergraduate enrollment of 14,816 students surpasses the budgeted goal of 14,776 by 40 students but is 4 percent less than last year.
- Graduate enrollment of 7,130 students is 4 percent (or 282 students) over budget and 3 percent over last year.
- Law enrollment stands at 823 students, about 13 percent over budget and 2 percent greater than last year.
Racial/Ethnic Diversity- DePaul’s student profile is more diverse than ever. This fall, 8,544 of the students enrolled (or 38 percent) are students of color—the highest number of students of color and the highest proportion in DePaul’s history.
- Students of color account for 41 percent of undergraduate enrollment, 32 percent of graduate enrollment and 26 percent of law enrollment.
New Student Enrollment- The 6,014 new students enrolling this fall represent 26 percent of total enrollment. New student enrollment is about 1 percent more than budgeted although 2 percent less than last year.
- The freshman class of 2,542 students is the fourth-largest in university history and is 92 more than the budgeted goal of 2,450. Freshman enrollment has increased over last year in every college except Communication. Applications for admission were the second highest ever at DePaul while yield rates were in line with 2017. The academic profile of the class is comparable to last year; the average high school GPA is 3.60 and the average ACT 25.3. Students of color comprise 43 percent of the class, first-generation students 33 percent and out-of-state students 36 percent.
- Transfer enrollment of 1,199 is 8 percent less (101 students) than the budgeted level but only 2 percent less than last year. DePaul’s market share for community college transfers remains strong, but pre-transfer enrollment at the community colleges continues to decrease significantly.
- SNL’s new undergraduate enrollment of 44 students is 75 percent less than last year (or 130 fewer students). This is due to the discontinuation of the competency-based degree program and the late launch of a new bachelor’s in professional studies.
- New graduate enrollment of 1,788 students is 1 percent below the budgeted target but up slightly (10 students) compared with last year. The Corporate Employer Outreach (CEO) initiative continues to play an instrumental role in meeting budgeted targets in graduate and professional programs, enrolling 139 students in five cohorts this fall.
- The College of Law enrolled 309 new students, 28 percent more than budgeted but 4 percent less than last year.
- New international student enrollment is down from last year, in line with what many institutions are reporting across the country. DePaul is down 95 new international students, or 21 percent, from last year (from 446 in fall 2016 to 351 for fall 2017).
Online Enrollment- Online hours account for 12 percent of all credit hours registered. The 32,784 online learning credits are a university record and a 6 percent increase over last year.
All this information—and more—can be found in DePaul’s annual enrollment summary publication, which will be mailed to all full-time faculty and staff in December. If you are interested in obtaining a quantity of booklets, contact
Brady Johnson, divisional communications director for EMM.