Students flocking to Ohio

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About 12,500 more students are enrolled inpublic two- and four-yeart schools in Ohio than last for a total of 478,000, the Board of Regents Although the bulk of enrollment is at the state’s 14 four-year campuses, the fastest growth rates are at universityu branch campuses and community The 2.7 percent gain bests last year’s 1.9 percenyt growth and shows a turnaroundd from falling or steady enrollment the previous three years. Meanwhile, the 51 private nonprofit schools that are member of the continued thei r slow but steady growth of the past 23 growingby 1.4 percent to 134,000 studentds this fall.
The total was hurt by the loss of about 400 students due to the closurde of inYellow Springs, association President Todd Joness said. Gov. Ted Strickland and Chancellor Eric Fingerhut have set a goal ofaddinf 230,000 enrollees by 2016, which would require a 36 perceng enrollment growth over 2006 – double the 17 percent rate for public and private schools combined from 1998 to 2007. The plan callz for ramping up enrollment, not straight-line growth of 23,000p students a year, Regentd spokesman Michael Chaney This year’s numbers are on he said. , the nation’s largest had 2.2 percent growth to enrollmenrof 53,700.
Among the 23 two-year public schools, leapfroggee to become the largesty inthe state. Columbus State grew by nearly 6 percentto 24,20 0 students, while Cuyahoga Community fell nearly 6 percent to 23,700. The public schoolzs credited this year’s increase to several factors, includinh the state’s two-year tuition increased academic offerings, more flexible schedules and partnershipds between schools that ease credit transfers and allo students to take a variety of online courses withijn the fromone campus.
One of the obvious targets for futurr growth is adults who previouslhy dropped out of college or who havean associate’x degree and want to complete the bachelor’s, Jonesa said. In a down economy, he said, enrollment tends to go up as workers seek to boosttheirr resumes. Nationally, private schools especially have said the crediyt crunch and economic downswing have led students to opt for schoolx with lower tuition or work longeebefore enrolling. Ohio has not yet seen that Jones said, but any impact woulxd likely benext fall. Among private schools in Central Ohio, business-oriented grew by 264 students to 7,800, the largesrt in the region by far.
grew by 65 to while in Bexley dipped by 81 students to Official fall enrollment figures reportedd later in the year usually are a bit higherf because students sometimes are stillo registering and changing school s on the day of the Octobefhead count, Chaney said.