Building off a positive fall quarter, DePaul delivered strong winter quarter outcomes by enrolling 21,953 students, almost 2 percent more than the budgeted target. Students registered for 272,316 credit hours, generating $227.7 million in gross revenue, the highest for a winter quarter in university history.
“Tuition revenue funds nearly all of DePaul’s ongoing operations,” says David H. Kalsbeek, senior vice president of Enrollment Management and Marketing. “To deliver the experience and opportunities our students deserve, it is critical that we meet our budgeted expectations, and we exceeded them this winter.”
Graduate enrollment of 7,051 students not only surpasses the initial budgeted estimate by 1 percent, it is 48 students more than last year. KGSB, COE and CSH posted a combined increase of 147 students over winter 2018. Graduate credit hours are 3 percent more than the budgeted target and 2 percent more than last year. Moreover, enrollment in the College of Law stands at 770 students, about 4 percent over budget. New graduate and law enrollment is 743 students, 7 percent greater than the budgeted estimate and 9 percent more than last year.
Undergraduate enrollment is 13,790 students, 2 percent over this year’s budgeted goal of 13,546 but 2 percent less than last year. The number of new undergraduates enrolling this winter is 555 students, which is 16 percent more than the budgeted target.
Overall, there are 1,298 new students registered this winter, 10 percent over the budgeted target and 3 percent more than last winter (up 43 students). This is consequential moving forward, says Kalsbeek. “While new students in the winter quarter comprise only 6 percent of total enrollment, growth in this segment bodes well for future quarters.”
While continuing undergraduate enrollment of 13,235 students is 1 percent over the budgeted estimate of 13,066, it is about 2 percent less than last winter. Kalsbeek explains that the drivers of the slight decline are primarily tied to the adult and transfer segments.
“The cumulative effects of an increasingly competitive transfer market the past few cycles and declining community college enrollments, coupled with the discontinuation of the competency-based degree program in SNL, explains most of the decrease in undergraduate enrollment compared to last year.”
“Fortunately, DePaul’s breadth and depth of academic offerings allows us to smooth the volatility caused by declines in some areas with growth in programs on the upswing,” Kalsbeek continues. “The overall result is a strong performance relative to budgeted expectations.”