This message was sent to DePaul faculty and staff.
Dear Faculty and Staff,
We are writing today with some good news on enrollment and student success. Many universities have been affected by challenges this past year with the new FAFSA rollout, as well as the declining demographic of college-aged students in the U.S. Even in the face of these systemic challenges, DePaul reached 98% of our budgeted enrollment goal for Fall 2024, with only 138 fewer students than Fall 2023, because we focused on re-enrollment. The total number of enrolled students in fall 2024 is 21,210 compared to 21,348 in fall 2023.
Continuing students return at higher rates
Our collective and strategic efforts to support students are working, and we are seeing positive changes in re-enrollment. DePaul students are persisting in their studies, returning each quarter, and moving forward on the path to graduation at greater numbers.
- 10,504 undergraduates continued their studies this fall, which is 225 more than last year.
- DePaul also has 4,496 continuing graduate students, which is 268 more than last year.
These trends in student success could not happen without you: Faculty and staff ensuring our students are learning, are connected to the life of the university, and feel a sense of purpose and meaning in their studies. Across the university you are also making changes that enable a smooth journey for students throughout their educational experience at DePaul. A few university-wide initiatives that are building momentum include:
- Personalized support: Working together, Information Services and Enrollment Management implemented new technology to connect with students when they need us most. Personalized messages to students connect them with their advisors and improve customer services and case management.
- Early warning on exiting students: Students who leave the university often say they feel a lack of support. We built a mechanism that flags early indicators when a student might withdraw from classes, so that we can help them access resources. This process also allows us to collect feedback from students regarding their reasons for leaving DePaul.
- Timely nudges to register: Using Marketing Cloud software, Enrollment Management now offers students reminders and incentives to register early. This approach, coupled with a series of timely and personalized reminders, as well as registering tips, has played a significant role in improving continuation rates.
Challenges and opportunities
Certainly, there are complex challenges ahead. It’s important to note we are starting with 646 fewer new students compared to last year, so supporting students in continuing their studies is as critical as ever.
While we hoped FAFSA was having a one-year glitch, the rollout this year is also delayed until December. Noting this challenge, DePaul will be prepared to send estimated financial aid awards, even if we do not receive FAFSA from the Department of Education in a timely manner, for the incoming class of Fall 2025.
Overall, we plan to build upon our success in continuing enrollment, while working to eliminate achievement gaps in retention and persistence. To support this endeavor, we invite faculty and staff to attend this year’s
Student Success Summit this December to learn about and share great work happening to support our students.
For those who would like to take a deeper dive into these topics, more opportunities are coming up. Faculty and staff
may register for a series of Financial Health Update sessions that will begin by looking back at Fiscal Year 2024 and then provide quarterly updates on enrollment and financial performance in Fiscal Year 2025. The dates for those sessions are:
Fiscal Year 2024 Financial Update
Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024
Fiscal Year 2025 Enrollment and Financial Health Update
Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025
Monday, May 12, 2025
IRMA will also host a series of Brown Bag lunches in early November to provide a deeper dive into our enrollment data. You can see a
flyer with additional information here. We hope to see you there.
Sincerely,
Robert L. Manuel
President
Salma Ghanem
Provost
Sherri Sidler
Executive Vice President and CFO
Soumitra Ghosh
Senior Vice President, Enrollment Management