Enrollment continues huge slide

One of the more puzzling questions about enrollment at Yavapai College has to do with the Prescott Campus. While enrollment at the Verde Campus has stopped its decline and has even shown a slight increase in the last year, the enrollment of students on the Prescott Campus continues in a precipitous slide.

In the College fiscal year 2009/10, Prescott reported in its audited annual report that there were 2,396 Full Time Equivalent Students (FTSE).  One FTSE equals twelve credits. By comparison, the College reported in August, 2016 that enrollment during the 2015/16 fiscal year had plummeted to 1252.7. This is a drop of 1,143.3 FTSE. This is a huge  drop.

If one compares 20016/07 FTSE with 2015/16, the result is a fall of 843.3 FTSE.  The decline is all the more surprising because the current administration has invested millions of dollars in construction on that campus.  It is also the center for all sports programs, major sports facilities, the Performing Arts Center, and Dell Webb Family Enrichment Center.

The drop in one year from 2014/15 to 2015/16 was 104.7 FTSE.  In terms of enrollment, this is huge.

Audited unduplicated data shows continual slide in enrollment; slide to continue

Yavapai Community College now (August 20, 2016) has 6,000 fewer students taking credit courses of any kind for credit than it did ten years ago.  This is according to the data provided by the College for the academic years 2006 thru 2015/2016. All of the data has been audited with the exception of the figure for 2015/16.

The drop has occurred despite the addition of on-line courses and an increase in dual enrollment courses. Using those additions, and anything else the College could label a credit offering to boost the enrollment count, the decline remains over 6,000 fewer students than ten years ago.   

One of the explanations for the decline, according to the College, is related to the recession.  It claims that more students take courses during a recession.  Then, when the recession is over, the number declines.

The audited headcount data from the College does not support the College’s recession claim.  It shows a steady decline in the actual number of students taking credit courses beginning in 2006, before the recession, with the decline continuing through the recession up to the present time.

As noted above, the chart below is based entirely on audited College data, with the exception of the past year’s data, which has yet to be audited.  The College anticipates the slide will continue this year. Watch out for the College spin masters on this issue.

The Verde Independent in an article dated August 18 (click here to read the article) quoted Yavapai College as explaining the decline in enrollment as follows: “Most of the decline in on-campus credit enrollments, says Hughes, “is the result of students migrating to on-line courses, not students exiting the college. Other factors impacting declining credit enrollment include an improving job outlook, and more community education and OLLI opportunities for personal interest students.”

As noted above, the total audited headcount included all students who were taking online, traditional in-class courses and any hybrid classes.  Moreover, OLLI is a program for persons 55 years old or more and OLLI is completely independent of the College Administration and control.  It is an independent 501(c)(3) organization created by a $2 million dollar grant to the College that pays for its independent operation.  It has its own governing committee that handles finances, curriculum, and other issues. Its faculty are not paid and it charges a fee for several of its programs to help support its independent operation.