NDSU announces new tactics to increase enrollment in fall 2020

On Feb. 19, Northern Plains Ethics Institute hosted a presentation regarding the enrollment challenges of North Dakota State University. Enrollment has been decreasing at NDSU consistently since 2018.

The presentation outlined three major challenges to NDSU enrollment. The cultural and economic issues surrounding the college, the demographics of who is coming to NDSU and the added competition for Minnesota students from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.

Chris Wilson is the Chief of Staff at NDSU. Wilson was one of the presenters addressing enrollment challenges.

“It’s a great thing that the country is having fantastic economic circumstances right now,” Wilson said. “It’s great for the country, but for higher education enrollment, that tends to not be very good.”

According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 20.56 million students were enrolled in America’s colleges in 2011. That number has fallen to around 18.24 million students enrolled in 2019. At NDSU, 3,120 new students enrolled this fall, 72 students less than last year.

“There are some political and cultural leaders that have indicated that maybe college isn’t as important as it used to be,” Wilson said. “Now there’s more of a mantra of ‘Don’t Know Don’t Go’.”

As costs for higher education increase, fewer students can attend college. In 2009, the Presidential Scholarship paid 32 percent of tuition for NDSU students receiving it. In 2019, that number dropped to 19 percent.

Laura Oster-Aaland is the Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management. Oster-Aaland directs enrollment management offices, student affairs, and other student success programs.

 “Students are more sensitive to costs then they have been in the past,” Oster-Aaland said.

“Competition for the same students is probably our biggest challenge,”

Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, Laura Oster-Aaland

 “Competition for the same students is probably our biggest challenge,” Oster-Aaland said.

Added competition for Minnesota residents from the University of Minnesota also has a large effect on enrollment numbers. Minnesota residents made up 46 percent of students at NDSU in the fall of 2019. While North Dakota residents only made up 42 percent of students. To attract Minnesota residents, need-based grants are being awarded to help cover costs. These need-based grants range from $2,500 to $8,000.

“If the University of Minnesota is taking more Minnesota students, they are probably some of the students that would have come to NDSU,” Wilson said.

Addressing low enrollment

In an attempt to combat low enrollment for fall 2019 several different actions were taken. One being the waving of an application fee.

“We decided why are we putting up a barrier for students,” Oster-Aaland said. “So, we waived that fee and it has been fairly successful.”

Other actions taken by the university include hiring two new admission counselors, an increase in one-time scholarships and contracting Minnesota recruiters for 10 to 12 months at a time.

NDSU is continuing to implement tactics to combat low enrollment. For the fall 2020 semester, NDSU implemented a new mobile-friendly application. NDSU is expanding enrollment efforts in Wisconsin and Illinois and direct need-based aid to students in need. Also, transfer guides have been implemented in all two-year colleges in North Dakota and a majority of those in Minnesota.

“Students starting at those two-year schools can see which courses they should be taking to seamlessly transfer and still graduate in a timely manner,” Oster-Aaland said.

Student Attraction to NDSU

While the challenges for enrollment and their possible solutions are changing something that isn’t is why students attend NDSU. According to student surveys, some of the tops reasons students attend NDSU are the academic programs offered, affordable tuition, school spirit and a strong sense of community.

“NDSU is an exciting large college experience but in a smaller environment,” Oster-Aaland said. “You are not just a number here.”

According to students one of the top reasons they attend NDSU is school spirit. The largest cultivator of school spirit on campus is the athletics program. Troy Goergen is the Senior Associate Director of Athletics for External Operations at NDSU. Goergen oversees marketing, promotion, communications and broadcasting for NDSU Athletics.

“Athletics is the front porch to a university,” Goergen said. “It’s the introduction a lot of people have to university. We hope this ultimately has a positive impact on enrollment.”

According to Goergen, athletic programs, especially successful ones, create an affinity for the university. To increase associations with the university, NDSU Athletics tries to engage with fans as young as possible.

“Fans of athletics are more likely to be fans of the university,” Goergen said. “We want people to grow up to become Bison. We want young kids from Bismarck to Beulah to Waterford City to have an affinity for the Bison as early as possible.”

In an attempt to grow engagement with young fans, Bison Athletics partnered with Bison Illustrated to create a “For Kids” edition of the magazine in January. Bison Illustrated is a monthly magazine that highlights Bison athletics. Issues feature stories about athletic teams, student athletes and coaches and other staff. Nolan Schmidt is the editor of Bison Illustrated and has held the position for the last two years.

“Athletics is oftentimes the first point of contact when people first hear about NDSU,” Schmidt said. “I think the most important thing to understand is that athletics is an extension of the university and what it stands for. What has made Bison athletics and its programs so successful is its commitment to the values that have made the university, as a whole, successful. NDSU athletics illustrates that a commitment to tradition and values leads to success on and off the field of competition.”

Bison Illustrated has done “For Kids” issues in the past but never during the athletic season. For Schmidt, he hopes the issue will increase interest in kids less familiar with NDSU.

“I hope it gets kids excited and interested in everything NDSU and what its athletic department offers its student-athletes, coaches, fans and administration,” Schmidt said. “From my personal viewpoint, I hope it inspires kids to be the best they can be in everything they do. Whether that is in sports or art and everything in between, if this inspires kids to be great, that’s important to me.”

Enrollment challenges nationwide

A decrease in college enrollment is not a problem unique to NDSU. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, college enrollment has been decreasing for eight consecutive years. In the spring of 2019 college enrollment in North Dakota decreased by 4.5 percent. That put North Dakota fourth in the country for the highest decrease in college enrollment. North Dakota is preceded by Alaska, Florida and Illinois. NDSU, however, is still the institution of choice for high school graduates in North Dakota.

“NDSU receives about 10 percent of all high school graduates from North Dakota,” Oster-Aaland said. “That is more than any other state institution.”

The major competitors for North Dakota students are the University of North Dakota, Bismarck State College and Minnesota State University Moorhead. While the major competitors for Minnesota students are the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, the University of Minnesota Duluth and the University of North Dakota.