MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Enrollment has been on a decline at colleges and universities nationwide, including at the University of Memphis.
Tony Bourne, the U of M's Vice President for Enrollment Management, said the shrinking population was accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are other factors involved.
Bourne said one of the biggest factors stopping students from going to college is a changed perception for the need for a degree.
"The college-going rate is really effected by student belief about the value for higher education,” said Bourne. “And there was a lot of concern for students because of the cost and things that really bubbled up as being the primary, most important factors for them."
In Shelby County, the college-bound rate is down. In 2022, 52.3% of graduating seniors in Shelby County enrolled in college immediately following high school graduation. That number is down from 63.8% in 2017.
U of M has a major impact on the city's economy. It provides nearly 10,000 jobs and contributes nearly $1 billion in economic activity each year according to the University.
Major declines in enrollment could impact the city's economy and the amount of state funding that the University receives.
"It definitely impacts state funding because state funding is a factor not just in enrollment, but also in student success, so we're trying to balance that out,” said Bourne.
Part of the enrollment decline is also by choice for the school. The U of M is becoming more selective to make sure the students they accept are more likely to graduate.
"From what we have, the resources we have and where we can put them, a little bit more prepared student is going to be more successful on our campus, but we don't want to create barriers to entry,” said Bourne.
Bourne said it’s important to still give students who aren’t as prepared for college an opportunity. So, part of their plan to attract more students is to create more partnerships with community colleges.
"As we look forward, one of the ways that we're going to deal with the decline in enrollment is actually create more clear pathways for students to choose alternative ways into University of Memphis so that we increase that probability of success,” said Bourne.
Higher education officials nationwide are bracing for another drop in enrollment in 2025.
There haven’t been any major changes to the number of graduate students enrolled at the University of Memphis and dual enrollment numbers are increasing.