W.Va. students again a minority in WVU freshman class
For the second year in a row, in-state students are a minority in West Virginia University's freshman class, according to preliminary enrollment figures.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - For the second year in a row, in-state students are a minority in West Virginia University's freshman class, according to preliminary enrollment figures.
About 49 percent of freshmen are from West Virginia - the same breakdown as last year's freshman class, said university spokeswoman Janey Cink.
Official enrollment numbers may fluctuate slightly, and will not be released until late September, said Brenda Thompson, WVU's assistant vice president of enrollment management.
Over the past 10 years, West Virginia has experienced a steady decline in the number of high school graduates, Thompson said.
But this year, West Virginia actually had slightly more high school graduates than last year, helping boost the overall size of the freshman class, Thompson said.
"We're not turning away any qualified West Virginia students," she said. "It's not like an out-of-state student is replacing an in-state student."
About 5,180 first-year students started classes Monday, the school's largest class ever.
Overall, 56 percent of WVU students are state residents, Cink said.
Enrollment officials are seeing more students come to WVU from New England, where they have stepped up recruitment efforts, said Jamie Ealy, director of undergraduate recruitment.
In this year's freshman class, 40 students came from Massachusetts and 40 from Connecticut.
Last year, 23 came from Massachusetts, and 37 came from Connecticut.
Over the past year, a recruiter who usually recruits in New York stopped in Massachusetts and Connecticut to meet guidance counselors and attend college fairs, he said: "I sent him as far north as Boston."
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - For the second year in a row, in-state students are a minority in West Virginia University's freshman class, according to preliminary enrollment figures.
About 49 percent of freshmen are from West Virginia - the same breakdown as last year's freshman class, said university spokeswoman Janey Cink.
Official enrollment numbers may fluctuate slightly, and will not be released until late September, said Brenda Thompson, WVU's assistant vice president of enrollment management.
Over the past 10 years, West Virginia has experienced a steady decline in the number of high school graduates, Thompson said.
But this year, West Virginia actually had slightly more high school graduates than last year, helping boost the overall size of the freshman class, Thompson said.
"We're not turning away any qualified West Virginia students," she said. "It's not like an out-of-state student is replacing an in-state student."
About 5,180 first-year students started classes Monday, the school's largest class ever.
Overall, 56 percent of WVU students are state residents, Cink said.
Enrollment officials are seeing more students come to WVU from New England, where they have stepped up recruitment efforts, said Jamie Ealy, director of undergraduate recruitment.
In this year's freshman class, 40 students came from Massachusetts and 40 from Connecticut.
Last year, 23 came from Massachusetts, and 37 came from Connecticut.
Over the past year, a recruiter who usually recruits in New York stopped in Massachusetts and Connecticut to meet guidance counselors and attend college fairs, he said: "I sent him as far north as Boston."
Ealy also believes WVU sports have gotten more exposure in New England in the past few years, since the University of Connecticut joined the Big East football conference in 2004.
As in the past, Pennsylvania sent more freshmen - about 800 - than any other state besides West Virginia. Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey also sent large numbers of students to WVU.
WVU has a regional recruiter who lives in the Pittsburgh area, and also one who lives in Virginia, Ealy said.
"I think that's one reason we do so well in Pennsylvania. They really get embedded in the community," Ealy said. "It's an issue of not just knowing guidance counselors. They know a lot of people."
Many out-of-state students find WVU to be more affordable than other schools, Ealy said.
West Virginia residents pay $5,100 per year for tuition, while nonresidents pay $15,770.
Out-of-state students help keep West Virginians' tuition low, but Ealy said they also help enrich campus life.
"Having a diverse student body geographically, I think it contributes to the educational experience of everybody," Ealy said.
Because the number of high school graduates in West Virginia is expected to keep falling, WVU will have to work harder to attract in-state students, he said.
"We are especially concerned now with even doing more in West Virginia," he said. "We still focus an awful lot of attention ... right here within the state."
Rather than just attending college fairs, recruiters have been trying to personalize the recruitment process, Ealy said. They now e-mail and call parents and prospective students to chat one-on-one, and organize recruitment events such as private receptions.
Reach Alison Knezevich at alis...@wvgazette.com or 348-1240.
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Look, one of the things about college is meeting people from other places. If WVU's freshman class has more out of staters, that's not a bad thing. It means the kids get to mix with people from somewhere else, something sadly lacking for most West Virginians. The bigger question is: did many West Virginians lose out in competition to get into WVU? If so, why? Or was application by in-staters just down?
As for Marshall, it's a smaller university, nothing wrong with that, especially if you don't like driving all over town to get to class. Because of its location, it actually offers in-state tuition to some of the tri-state area. (I believe if you can commute daily, you can get in-state tuition) That's not a bad thing, and can skew some of the stats. So each college offers its own advantages.