University Times

From fall 2016 to fall 2017, the University did not see significant change overall in its enrollment, according to Amanda Brodish, senior data analyst in the Office of the Provost. Brodish reviewed the findings of the provost office’s full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment study at the University Senate budget policies committee’s Oct. 20 meeting.

Enrollment at the University’s Pittsburgh and Johnstown campuses increased by 0.4 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively. While Pitt–Greensburg’s enrollment remained level, Pitt–Titusville and Pitt–Bradford’s enrollment declined by 8.6 percent and 8.9 percent, respectively. Brodish attributed the finding at the Bradford campus to a decrease in the enrollment of students from New York, who, as of 2017, are eligible for free tuition at that state’s public colleges and universities.

A surprising find in the School of Education, Brodish said, was a 16.4 percent decrease in graduate students. Brodish added that discussions with school administrators revealed that more stringent admission criteria in certain programs may have contributed to the decline.

Undergraduate enrollment in the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and enrollment in the College of General Studies increased by 1.6 percent, illustrating “in part, a higher target for freshman admission this year,” said Brodish. The School of Nursing, which saw an increase of 11.5 percent in undergraduate enrollment, also sought to enroll more first-year students.

Enrollment in master’s and doctorate programs in the School of Medicine rose by 20.1 percent. Brodish said that she did not have insight into that increase, while one committee member said that fluctuations in that area are not uncommon.

Wesley Rohrer, committee chair and a faculty member in the Graduate School of Public Health, asked if housing poses as a primary constraint in undergraduate recruiting.

For the moment, the answer is yes, said David DeJong, executive vice provost.

“We have a three-year housing guarantee, and that has been a really important facet of the success we’ve had in building our undergraduate recruiting chops,” he said.

Other enrollment figures can be found in the University’s 2018 fact book.

Contact:
Katie Fike, kfike@pitt.edu, 412-624-1085