New England colleges and universities are facing an undergraduate enrollment decline mainly because of high tuition rates and students leaving the region, according to a report this week in the Chronicle of Higher Education.
While Ivy League institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Brown and others continue to flourish, smaller private colleges and public universities in the region are struggling to recruit students. Reasons cited for the decline range from high tuition rates to student distaste for New England weather.
New England's enrollment dropped by 18,000 students over the past decade from a high of 827,000 students in 1992.
A loss of in-state students contributes to the enrollment decline.
The region experienced a 14 percent decrease in the number of 18-to-24-year-old New England residents in the last decade. One-third of New England's high school graduates now go to colleges outside the region.
"New England population [is not] growing. I do know that Massachussetts is the leading importer of students in the country [but] New Jersey is the leading exporter," said Clare M. Cotton, president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts.
Public universities in New England now are facing a 20,000 student enrollment downturn since the early 1990s and are struggling with the drastic cut in regional research spending, which is down to 8 percent from 10 percent of budgeting in 1980. This translates to a regional research spending loss of about $500 million in 2000 alone.
The Chronicle also cites high tuition as a factor. New England private college tuition is about $3,000 above the national average, and public tuition is about $1,000 above the national average.
The Chronicle also speculates that the reputation of nationally prestigious private universities may be hurting New England's public universities. Because of the allure of New England's private colleges, public universities in the region often suffer from low SAT scores in comparison to public universities elsewhere.
Dean of Admissions John A. Blackburn said the New England public university stigma is not a factor in attracting students from the region to the University.
"I would not agree that the appeal of U.Va. is [related to] a declining interest in New England colleges ... we're in direct competition with many of the Ivies," Blackburn said.
Trouble for higher education in New England could mean economic problems for the region. Higher education is one of the region's leading industries, accounting for $15 billion of economic input annually.
Previous worries that the Sept. 11 attacks might further impact enrollment numbers in major New England metropolitan areas seem to have been unfounded.
"After Sept. 11, there was some speculation that some students would not want to be in metropolitan areas and they'd want to be in rural areas ... I don't really think that's playing itself out. At Columbia and Georgetown ... applications are up," Blackburn said.
Demographics also indicate that New England has reason to hope for an enrollment upturn in the future.
"We've in fact had a blip in the demography of New England ... there will be a rising number of 18-year-olds in 2008-2009," Cotton said.
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