University Times

Pitt freshman enrollment, applications and SAT scores all increased this fall. But for the third consecutive year the University failed to meet its overall enrollment goals.

The shortfall was small, just 70 full-time-equivalent students, or 0.2 percent of Pitt's total enrollment.

According to final figures for fall 1996, Pitt freshman enrollment increased by 10 percent this fall — from 2,377 full-time freshmen in fall 1995 to 2,619 in 1996. Freshman applications were up 21 percent, from 7,825 to 9,455.

Twenty percent of Pitt's class of 2000 are from out-of-state. The number of non-Pennsylvania freshmen increased by 16 percent, from 451 in fall 1995 to 523 this year. Over the last two years, Pitt out-of-state freshman enrollments have increased by 50 percent.

Of this year's freshman class, 18 percent are minorities; 11 percent of the freshmen are African-American.

Average SAT scores among Pitt freshman increased slightly. For fall 1996 freshmen, the average combined score was 1,144 (570 math, 574 verbal) compared with 1,139 last year (567 math, 572 verbal) and 1,125 in fall 1994 (562 math, 563 verbal).

Overall Pitt enrollments decreased slightly. The University currently enrolls:

* 19,479.6 full-time equivalent (FTE) undergraduates — down by 22.2 FTE undergrads from fall 1995, and 157.8 fewer FTE undergrads than the administration had budgeted for.

* 7,320.6 FTE graduate and first professional students — a decrease of 47.8 FTE students, and 40.2 fewer FTE graduate/first professional students than Pitt had budgeted for.

FTE enrollments include both full- and part-time students and should not be confused with the "headcount," or total number of students. For example, Pitt's fall 1996 combined undergraduate and graduate student headcount is 31,395, which works out to 26,800.2 FTEs.

Seventeen Pitt schools and regional campuses exceeded their FTE enrollment goals for fall 1996, while 18 other units fell short. The arts and sciences led the way at both extremes.

FTE enrollment in the undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences declined by 255, from 9,000.4 last year to 8,745.4 in fall 1996. The latter number is 282.6 fewer than Pitt had budgeted for. Among Faculty of Arts and Sciences graduate programs, FTE enrollment declined by 5.6 students, from 1,505.2 to 1,499.6. But Pitt had planned for just 1,400 FTEs in FAS, so the school actually exceeded its goal by 99.6 FTE students.

Enrollments at Pitt's four regional campuses increased by 4 percent, from a combined 5,267.4 FTE students to 5,479.8 — 115.8 above what had been budgeted for.

The University-wide headcount of 31,395 students was 474 fewer than Pitt had budgeted for.

Jack L. Daniel, vice provost for Academic Affairs, called the enrollment shortfalls "something that we need to be concerned about but not anything to panic about, especially given the increases in the size, quality and diversity of our freshman class, and the efforts we're making to improve the level of student satisfaction once they're enrolled here." Schools that failed to meet enrollment goals must make up the difference within the current fiscal year through budget cuts or revenue increases, Daniel said. Units that exceeded their goals will divide surplus revenues with the central administration, the vice provost said.

Daniel said the administration had expected some decline in total enrollment this fall for the following reasons:

* The College of General Studies recently completed a reorganization, it no longer enrolls traditional-age freshmen, and the college is seeking to redefine its market. The college's FTE enrollment dropped from 2,238.4 in fall 1995 to 1,995.8 this fall — 4.2 FTE students short of the college's goal.

* The College of Arts and Sciences has not yet replaced business students it lost to the College of Business Administration, now in its second year, and the communication disorders program was transferred from CAS to the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences.

* School of Pharmacy enrollments will continue to decline as the school moves from a five-year undergraduate program to a six-year Pharm.D. program.

— Bruce Steele