A year of want
TWU not immune to country-wide enrollment woes
October 31, 2007
Lauren Thompson
Enrollment continued its steady decline at Trinity Western University this fall, with an eight per cent drop in undergraduate students. There has been an overall decrease of six per cent, including graduate studies and Global Learning Connections, according to the recently released Fall Census.
“This is the most severe decline,” said Corwin Koch, Vice President of enrollment management. “It’s significant,” he added, “but it’s not like the bottom’s falling out.”
There are 2,033 undergrads enrolled this year — 178 less than last year. This is significantly less than the 2,507 undergrads attending in 2003, which was TWU’s highest year of enrollment.
“2003 was the high,” he said, “but we always have plateaus and declines. It’s a pretty normal business cycle.”
Koch also assured that the enrollment woes are being seen across the country, as most major universities have seen either decline or little growth in the past year. “We are not doing anything wrong, or poorly,” he said. University of British Columbia, for instance, has grown only in its international and U.S. populations, while losing some of its Canadian numbers.
This is due to a number of factors. Declining birth rates throughout the 1990s means that there are simply less students around to attend high school, especially in B.C., said Koch. And, according to Maclean’s magazine, many recent high school graduates are gravitating more towards community colleges.
Another factor is the resource boom in many provinces, which means that making a decent salary with just a high school diploma is a viable option for many.
In addition, Koch explained that the “big four” B.C. universities — the University of British Columbia, University of Victoria, Simon Fraser University and Thompson Rivers University — have lowered their admissions standards, drawing more students away from small schools like TWU.
The most significant source of loss for TWU in particular comes from the American student population. At 306, TWU has less than half of the Americans in its population as it did in 2003, when 667 were enrolled. At that time, students from the U.S. made up 27 per cent of the undergraduate totals; now, they are only 15 per cent.
Koch cites the weakening dollar as a major component in this decline. In 2003, the American dollar was at a high in reference to the loonie; now, the two currencies are at parity. “We used to market [in the U.S.] to those looking for a bargain,” he said. As this is no longer an option, the admissions office has had to shift their marketing angle: “Now, quality is the biggest motivator.”
In order to attract more students to campus, the admissions office has been taking measures to increase the university’s appeal. One way is to “be intentional about relationships with ‘influencers,’” people such as youth pastors and teachers who can become “ambassadors” for TWU, said Koch.
Also being implemented is a push towards getting prospective students to visit the campus, evidenced by the recent preview weekend earlier this month. “Coming to campus is the most positive thing in influencing a student to come to TWU,” said Koch.
And the results look good so far. In fall of 2006, while the admissions office was using the “old format” for campus visits, 36 prospective students visited the TWU campus; after only one event this fall, 68 students have visited.
To make up for lost revenue resulting from lower enrollment, President Jonathan Raymond has put more emphasis on building a donor base for the university. In September, Raymond told Mars’ Hill he would like to see external sources become a higher percentage of university revenue, so that student tuition would not have to be as heavily relied on.
Other fall census demographics
International Countries
China: 99
Japan: 10
South Korea: 26
Taiwan: 16
Hong Kong: 6
Central & S. America: 3
Saudi Arabia: 2
Germany: 2
Pakistan: 1
United Arab Emirates: 1
DPRK (N. Korea): 1
Thailand: 1
Albania: 1
Norway: 1
Turkey: 1
France: 1
Ethiopia: 1
Provinces
British Columbia: 1257
Alberta: 136
Manitoba: 14
Ontario: 117
Saskatchewan: 14
Yukon: 6
Quebec: 4
Newfoundland: 1
Nova Scotia: 1
Top States
Washington: 157
Oregon: 40
California: 28
Colorado: 15
Hawaii: 14
Alaska: 9
Now you go...
2 Responses to “A year of want”
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Excellent article Lauren - this is the informative reporting that gives a balanced and insightful look into the world of TWU… and as someone who is slightly removed from the school now, I appreciate it!
Keep up the good work
Lauren … I’ll echo Norman’s sentiments! While still somewhat strange for me to see myself quoted in print I thought the article was an accurate portrayal of the facts and our conversation … well done!
One tiny point … the most severe decline was not this year and in fact our smallest incoming class decline over the past four years. Overall numbers reflected our largest (I believe) graduating class ever as many of our 2003 entering class (our largest incoming class in our history) completed their studies this year which made the overall numbers appear to be a severe decline.