Enrollment numbers in perspective
As higher education evolves, the traditional notion of a college student as an 18-22-year-old, educated for four years and then sent into society, has changed.
Wichita State and its affiliate, WSU Tech, together enroll about 19,000 students (WSU-15,000; WSU Tech-4,000), ranging from high school students getting a start on college credits or preparing for the job market, to traditional undergraduate and graduate students, to professionals adding new skills.
From the university's standpoint, the number of students enrolled, the number of credit hours they take, their retention to completion of credentials, and the amount of revenue they provide are important success indicators.
Where we are seeing significant growth is among non-traditional students enrolling in online programs and alternative credentials such as badges and short courses.
Providing these opportunities is a core part of what we need to do in order to meet student and industry needs, and it's a way we can meet our students – of all ages, incomes and experience – where they are.
Even with these other ways of growing, we will continue to seek and value the enrollment of new high school graduates. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, we recorded the largest class of new first-time freshmen in school history. At a time where nationally, the number of students entering four-year institutions has declined or stagnated, substantial growth of the freshman class is a source of pride.
The headcount snapshot means less in a world in which students can, and will, stop in, stop out, go part-time, and take programs and courses from many institutions at one time. What matters is the quality of education provided and the better lives and stronger community that result.
The information on this page is accurate as of Oct. 24, 2018. Comment on this topic.