The number of students at the University of Memphis has hit a seven-year low. This comes despite early indications that the school would retain more students this semester than in the previous spring.
The drop has a major effect on U of M’s bottom line.
That’s because a majority Memphis’s funding comes from tuition, mandatory and non-mandatory student fees, said David Zettergren, vice president for business and finance for the university.
This semester has 19,433 students, the lowest number of students since spring 2009, when there were just 19,343 students.
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Enrollment is a “critical†part of how the school funds itself, Zettergren wrote in an email sent to The Daily Helmsman.
Tuition and student fees make up about 62 percent of the university’s revenue, Zettergren said.
Tennessee’s state government contributes less than 33 percent of the U of M’s operating budget. The remaining funding comes from donations and grants the university wins.
Consistent declining enrollment has forced the U of M to reduce costs, dip into “carry forward funds from prior years†and limit “what is allocated to departments,†Zettergren wrote.
Enrollment appeared to be on an upshot in January when M. David Rudd, university president, shared early enrollment data with the campus community in an email.
“For the first time in many years, our spring enrollment has grown,†Rudd wrote in the email dated Jan 27.
At that time, the numbers indicated that the U of M’s spring enrollment had increased by 1.6 percent or 321 students, according to the email sent by the president. However, those numbers have changed.
Data released in March by the U of M’s Office of Institutional Research indicates spring enrollment decreased by a little more than 2 percent – a drop of 405 students.
The difference between Rudd’s numbers, and the recently released data is likely the natural “ebb and flow†of a university semester, said Steve McKellips, vice provost of Enrollment Services.
“There is still a lot of decision making going on, at the individual student level, right up to the end of the semester,†McKellips said.
McKellips said there isn’t a single reason to explain why Memphis’s enrollment is down. “If there were really an easy target we would address it,†McKellips said.
“It really comes down to students and families making decisions on an individual level.â€
While overall enrollment dropped, the U of M saw gains in specific areas. When compared to last spring, the university saw a 7 percent gain in transfer students, and a 40 percent increase in first-time freshmen.
Memphis also seems to be whittling away at the number of students who leave between fall and spring. The school lost 5.6 percent of students between fall and spring, which is the lowest percent drop since 2010.
