The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff saw a decline in enrollment from September 2013 to September 2014, in what one official called a reflection of more rigorous admission standards and other factors.
UAPB Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Elbert Bennett said UAPB enrolled 2,529 students as of Monday. He expected the number to drop by one or two students by Thursday, when the numbers become finalized. In September 2013, UAPB enrolled 2,615 students.
“We would love to have a little more, but we were anticipating it would be tough because high schools were decreasing in population,” Bennett said. “We feel the percentage decrease of 3.3 percent this year is better than the previous drop of 7.5 percent [September 2012 to September 2013], so we feel like we made some headway.”
UAPB used to admit nearly any high school graduate but raised its admission standards in fall 2012, Bennett said. To gain an unconditional admittance, a high school graduate must earn an least 19 on the ACT, he said. Consequently, fewer students are applying and being admitted, he said.
High school graduates who score between 15 to 18 on the ACT can be accepted with a conditional admittance. High school students who score a 13 or 14 on the ACT must score at least a 600 on the Compass Exam in order to be granted acceptance, he said.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“I think this trade-off helps our retention rates,” Bennett said. “[These students] will stay here long enough to graduate. It will not happen overnight but in the next two to three years. … If we are going to enhance standards, we must be more selective.”
UAPB expanded its recruitment staff and retention staff through new hires. Furthermore, UAPB began a marketing campaign in spring 2014 with advertisements through billboards, radio, newspaper and television.
“That is a very positive step. We feel like the publicity and advertisements will pay big dividends,” Bennett said. “We target high school sophomores and high school juniors. [By the time they become high school seniors], most kids have usually decided where they will attend college.”
UAPB graduates are also holding career fairs in Kansas City, Chicago, Dallas, Memphis, Little Rock and other cities.
“We have as many students from the Memphis area as we do from the Little Rock area,” Bennett said. “We are looking at some of the things we can do to attract more Little Rock-area high school students. That is a competitive area.”
Within Jefferson County, Bennett said UAPB is doing well recruiting from Pine Bluff High and Dollarway High schools, yet needs to improve its efforts in Watson Chapel and White Hall high schools. Furthermore, UAPB needs to attract more students from the rural counties of southernmost Arkansas, he said.
Many communities are declining in population, leading to fewer high school graduates, he sai.d This demographic trend is a reality impacting colleges and universities in Arkansas.
UAPB specifically contacted students who were previously enrolled but did not attend last semester, Bennett said.
“We have 181 returning students who were readmitted as undergraduate or graduate students,” Bennett said. “They are close to graduating.”
UAPB has enough residence halls to house about 1,500 students. As of Friday, the university had 1,058 students living on campus, Bennett said.
The deadline to apply for admission has passed for this semester. However, existing students may still apply to move into on-campus housing, Bennett said.
Within the last 15 years, UAPB reported a peak enrollment of 3,792 students in fall 2009, Bennett said.
Southeast Arkansas College saw a decline in enrollment from 1,510 students in September 2013 to 1,375 students in September 2014, continuing a downward trend of three years. SEARK President Stephen Hilterbran said he is not surprised by the decline because he believes an increasing number of people are entering the workforce rather than attending two-year colleges.
The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville reported its enrollment increased to 26,301 students, a gain of 3.8 percent from one year ago, according to the university.