Randolph College expects enrollment dip, others expect jump

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Liberty University and Sweet Briar College, meanwhile, will remain about on pace with recent years.

In its third year of coeducation, Randolph College expects an incoming class of about 160 students, about a third of whom are male, said John W. White, dean of enrollment and financial services. Last year, the college drew 180 new students.“It’s a little shorter than what we would have expected,” he said. “In the short term it impacts us, but I think we are still focused on the long-term goals … Every institution goes through a period of building years, and I think that’s where we are at this point.”

White said that number is “pretty fluid” and could grow in the remaining weeks of summer.

“We have, in the past, seen gains in our enrollment between now and the end of summer,” he said.

Overall, he said, the school’s population for the coming year is estimated at “about 500-plus.”

Last year’s population of about 600 students was the college’s lowest in at least 25 years.

White said the college has seen an increase in interest from potential students for future years.

“We really have no doubt that we’ll be able to meet our long-term enrollment goals,” he said.

While the economy may be playing a role in those declines, at Central Virginia Community College the same issue is contributing to a booming enrollment.

“I think it is a national trend that people are going back to school because of the economy,” said Judy Graves, CVCC’s dean of enrollment management. “That’s the situation of the way things are right now.”

The school still is about five weeks out from the start of class and enrollment numbers will fluctuate in that time period, she said.

But signs point to a busy school year.

Enrollment for the current summer session increased 15 percent over the same period last year, Graves said.

And overall last year, CVCC attracted about 5,600 students, she said, which was a nine percent increase over the previous year.

“We do see a trend of more adult students coming back because of the economy and the loss of jobs,” she said. “But we are also seeing a number of students applying here and going to school for 2-year degrees or using us as a stepping stone to go to a 4-year school.”

Lynchburg College also is expecting a large freshman class.

The school has seen several back-to-back years of record enrollment and is expecting to continue that trend this year, said Rita Detwiler, vice president for enrollment management.

LC had hoped to attract 550 new students, and instead will have more than 600, she said. Including transfer students, that number is closer to 700, she said.

In all, the college is expected to have about 2,500 students in the fall.

“Enrollment is very strong and very stable,” Detwiler said.

Liberty University also is holding steady and expects to hold its incoming class at about 3,500 new undergraduate students, said Registrar Larry Shackleton.

Last year, the college announced its first-ever enrollment cap as it enacted a plan for campus improvements before allowing more growth. The upcoming year will continue that plan, Shackleton said.

LU expects an overall population of about 11,500, roughly the same as last year, he said. To maintain that level, the college likely will again enact an enrollment cap in the coming weeks.

“The challenge this year is how many beds we have got,” he said.

“The percentage of returning students that are wanting to live on campus is a lot higher than in recent years. We have around 6,800 beds on campus, and right now we are within 100 and 150 of filling every single bed.”

Sweet Briar College is hoping not to have that problem this year with the opening of 50 new dorm spaces.

The college is hoping to draw in a first-year class of about 200, which is a “moving target” in the final month before students return, said Dean of Admissions Ken Huus. That would be a decrease from last year’s 225, which was the largest class in 25 years.

In total, the college expects about 675 students; 50 of the lucky ones will be in the new dorms.

“They were snatched up by students immediately,” Huus said. “They were the very first thing to go in our housing process.”