The university’s preliminary enrollment numbers for this semester have finally been released to The South Texan, and the university is looking at a 13 percent drop in enrollment since last fall.
This 13 percent accounts for more than 1,000 students who have left the university. International students account for 245 of those lost, and dual-enrollment students account for 170.
Texas A&M University-Kingsville has seen a tremendous drop in international enrollment since 2016. Among the factors thought to be in play are all the changes in U.S. immigration policy that make it tougher for residents of certain countries to receive a U.S. Visa.
Vice President of Enrollment Management Maureen Croft, Ph.D couldn’t say for sure if all of the immigration talk in the country has made students change their minds about coming to the U.S. for higher education.
“We’ve seen a global market that’s become more competitive as one factor. We don’t really know. There are surveys out there; there are lots of different thoughts on it. I’m not so sure we really know, or have a great handle on it,” Croft said.
Schools in the Rio Grande Valley have pulled back from TAMUK’s dual enrollment program, which explains those losses.
Croft explained that these schools found other avenues for collegiate experiences, and as a result TAMUK is no longer sending professors to the Valley.
“We had for a long time seen it as our mission to go in and offer dual-enrollment in areas that didn’t have it. That model is more expensive, because obviously we would have to pay for professors to go, especially in the Valley,” Croft said.
Administrators are searching for the reasons that caused this decline, and formulating solutions to get enrollment back on track based on these statistics.
“When you use data to do these things you know where you need to improve. If you don’t ask those questions, you don’t know where,” Croft said.
This data tells administrators another important factor for higher education: retention rates.
Interim Associate Vice President for Student Success Shannon Baker, Ph.D. is focused on keeping students involved and successful at the university.
“The goal is to get back up to 70 percent retention. Retention rates typically do ebb-and-flow over the course of a few year time span. We’re in a little bit of an ebb cycle right now where we have decreased in the last two years, but the Center for Student Success is collaborating with units across campus to work and focus on retention initiatives,” Baker said.
The ways Baker and the Center for Student Success are helping students be successful is by supporting them.
“One of the main themes of our retention initiatives focuses on support and the other is connection, so if students feel supported and connected we believe that they are more likely to persist and receive their college degree,” Baker said.
As administrators attempt to get students to attend this university and support them in their journey they maintain that TAMUK has a lot to offer, and it is only a matter of getting people’s attention.
“At the end of the day we are an excellent institution and an excellent choice for students, so it’s just a matter of reaching them, letting them know who are and what we offer them,” Croft said.
