Vol.14 - No.192 - LARGE UNIVERSITIES SUCCESSFULLY BATTLE FOR FEMER STUDENTS, BOARD SAYS

Sep 28, 2026

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The article reports College Board findings on higher-education enrollment shifts from 1980 to 1985, showing that public universities grew while many other postsecondary school types declined. It compares trends between larger institutions and smaller colleges, noting how part-time enrollment partly offset full-time losses. Regional differences are highlighted, including growth in the West and declines elsewhere. The report also details admissions and financial-aid indicators, including aid need and offering rates, plus statistics on freshman completion in good academic standing.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Selected Findings on Four-Year Colleges, 1980 Through 1985

Enrollment and application trends, 1980-1985

Admission, enrollment yield, and academic standing

Completion and progression to graduate study

Vol。14,No。192 Monday,October 6,1986 LARGE UNIVERSITIES SUCCESSFULLY BATTLE FOR FEMER STUDENTS,BOARD SAYS The recent decline in the nation's traditional college-age population has hurtsmall colleges and uni versities and technical schools more than the larger,more established public universities,according to the College Board. In a new survey,the board found that between 1980 and 1985,average freshmanenrollment rose 8.6 percent at public universities and 0.3 percent at privateuni versities,but enrollment fell for 10 other types of postsecondary schools. Smaller institutions may have made up for the loss of full-time students by attracting increasing numbers of part-time students,however,the board said. Average part-time undergraduate enrollment fell 24 percent at private univer- sities,but it rose 15 and 19 percent,respectively,at small private four-year colleges and public two-year technical schools. Economic Link SeenIn addition,minority freshman enrollment at techni calcolleges increased 2.3 percent during the five-year period,while it rose just1 percent at public four-year universities,according to the board. "When the economy gets tough,and people lose thelr jobs,school becomes veryattractive,"said Bob Aaron,a spokesman for the National Association of StateUniversities and Land Grant Colleges。"Larger institutions have more compre-hensive programs …that can increase a person's marketability." The board found that the largest growth in average freshman enrollment occurredin the West,where enrollment increased 22 percent at four-year colleges anduniversities;50 percent at public universities alone. "A lot of states in the West,such as Oregon and Nevada,are actively workingto keep thelr students at home,"said Paul Albright,a spokesman for the West-ern Interstate Commission for Higher Education. For the rest of the country,however,freshman enrollment fell up to 9 percent,the board found."We're on a declining high school graduate es calator here inNew England that began to make itself felt in the early 1980s,"John Chaffee,aspokesman for the New England Board of Higher Education,said in reference tothat region's slight drop in freshman enrollment. Despite the drop in the freshman population,however,New England's overallundergraduate enrollment at four-year public colleges rose 5 percent between1980 and 1985,the highest of any of the six regions the board surveyed.Chaffee attributed the rise to the region's increasing stress on the link be-tween education and economic development.Private,four-year school enrollmentin New England fell 11 percent,however,the board said.(more) Regional enrollment is just one of the more than 70 profiles and trend tablescompiled by the College Board in "Summary Statistics:Annual Survey of Co1-leges,1986-1987." The 99-page study,compiled from the board's annual college surveys,containsinformation on admissions,selectivity,student progress,retention,curriculum,financial aid and student demographics.The board compiledstatistics from the years of 1980,1984 and 1985. The study found that average enrollment at all four-year institutions remained relatively stable through the period,but enrollment at four-year private doc- toral-granting institutions fell 4.7 percent. At the same time,enrollment at two-year technical colleges decreased anaverage of 9 percent.More than 1,200 four-year and more than 700 two-yearschools were included in the survey. The survey also found that nearly 6 percent more freshmen at public four-yeardoctoral-granting universities completed the year in good academic standing in1985 than in 1980.The survey also includes the latest statistics on fall 1985enrollment(HED,Aug.26)。 More than 10.8 million students,including 2.7 m11lion freshmen,were enrolledin school at that time.The board also found that 57 percent of studentsapplying for financial aid from four-year schools in 1985 were judged to be inneed,and 91 percent of these were offered it.

FAQs

What did the College Board survey find about freshman enrollment between 1980 and 1985?

Average freshman enrollment rose at public universities but declined for many other types of postsecondary schools.

How did smaller institutions compensate for losses in full-time students?

Smaller institutions offset full-time losses by attracting more part-time students, with different percentage changes across private and public categories.

What does the survey say about financial aid need and offers in 1985?

It reports that a majority of students applying for financial aid were judged to be in need, and most of those needed students were offered aid.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by dhado