After years of rapid enrollment growth, Georgia's public colleges are adding students at a lower rate as the weak economy, reduced HOPE scholarship and tougher admission requirements blocked some students from attending.
While the University System of Georgia enrolled a record number of students this fall, more than 318,000, the figure is only a 2.1 percent increase from fall 2010. That's the system's smallest increase since 2005. Also a dozen campuses are teaching fewer students. The colleges are scattered across the state and they tend to enroll more low-income students who are more likely to struggle to pay for college.
System leaders predicted and welcomed a slowdown, saying it would make the annual influx of new students easier to manage. The system has gained about 48,000 students since fall 2007.
Officials couldn't link enrollment changes to just one cause, but with about one-third of the system's students depending on HOPE, changes to the award can't be ignored. Lawmakers revamped the lottery funded scholarship last spring, decreasing the aid students receive to keep the program viable for future recipients. As a result, thousands of students are bridging a financial gap and must pay hundreds of additional dollars in tuition, books and fees.
Atlanta Metropolitan College is teaching 255 fewer students this year, a drop of almost 8.4 percent and one of the steepest declines among the system's 35 campuses. About 90 percent of Atlanta Metro's students receive Pell Grants, a federal program for low-income students, said Alicia Scott, director of financial aid. Students warned Scott they'd have to leave school if they didn't get additional aid or a loan.
"We have had some who dropped out because they just didn't have the money," Scott said. "It's not just tuition and fees and books. They're buying groceries, supporting families and paying bus fare to come here. They can't afford to do it all anymore."
Tuition and fees increased by about 9 percent this fall. While Georgia's college costs are below the national and regional average, prices have increased and families are struggling to pay. More than half of Georgia's students graduated from college with debt in 2010, owing on average $18,888, according to the Project on Student Debt.
Beyond costs, more rigorous admissions requirements caused a drop as school leaders sought students better prepared for college rigor. Stricter criteria were used at several colleges, including Atlanta Metro and Macon State College, where enrollment dropped by 8.5 percent.
Some colleges rejected students who needed remedial help in all three areas of English, reading and math. These students won't be allowed to attend the university system starting fall 2012, but some schools implemented the rule early. Officials estimated the rule will affect about 2,000 students annually.
Also a handful of colleges required a minimum SAT score again. The State Board of Regents began a program in 2005 that allowed students to be admitted to 16 colleges without taking the SAT. This was done to increase access, helping those students who didn't take the exam because it made them nervous or they couldn't afford it. The program expired this year and college presidents were allowed to decide whether to require the exam.
Policy changes and the weak economy also caused enrollment to drop in the Technical College System of Georgia, where the number of students attending the 25 colleges dropped by more than 12,000. Leaders there anticipated the drop because of a system-wide switch from quarters to semesters that went into effect this fall. Also, about 75 percent of technical college students receive HOPE.
Gov. Nathan Deal and other lawmakers acknowledged that reforming HOPE would create some financial hardships but they said changes were necessary because the program was on track to run out of money by 2013.
HOPE reform and the weak economy lead the University of Georgia to admit several hundred more freshmen than usual because President Michael Adams thought the college would lose students to competitive private colleges. Instead, more students decided to attend and UGA is teaching about 500 more freshmen than anticipated. That increase balanced out a drop among graduate students, causing UGA's overall enrollment to grow by .4 percent.
Adams said the college will admit its regular number of students next year. Beyond that college leaders said it's too soon to predict what will happen, although they expect tuition and fees will increase.
"Just because they're here this fall doesn't mean they can afford to return in the spring or even next year," Clayton State University President Tim Hynes said. "We just don't know who will be able to piece together the loans, scholarships, grants and jobs to pay for college."
College enrollment
Enrollment in the University System of Georgia has increased annually since fall 1998. While more students enrolled this fall, growth was inconsistent across the system and enrollment dropped at a dozen campuses. Here are enrollment trends at colleges popular with metro Atlanta students.
Source: University System of Georgia fall enrollment reports.
* NOTE: Georgia Gwinnett College opened in 2006.
About the Author
