Students flocking to Ohio

ihituvofy.wordpress.com
About 12,500 more students are enrolledx inpublic two- and four-yeae schools in Ohio than last for a total of 478,000, the Boar d of Regents reported. Although the bulk of enrollmentg is atthe state’se 14 four-year campuses, the fastest growth ratesw are at university branch campusesd and community colleges. The 2.7 percent gain bestsw last year’s 1.9 percent growth and shows a turnarounxd from falling or steady enrollment the previousthree Meanwhile, the 51 private nonprofit schoolss that are members of the continuedc their slow but steady growth of the past 23 growing by 1.4 percent to 134,000 studentes this fall.
The total was hurt by the loss of abouty 400 students due to the closure of in Yellow association President ToddJones said. Gov. Ted Strickland and Chancellotr Eric Fingerhut have set a goal ofadding 230,00 enrollees by 2016, which would requirwe a 36 percent enrollment growth over 2006 double the 17 percent rate for publicv and private schools combined from 1998 to 2007. The plan callas for ramping up enrollment, not straight-line growth of 23,0090 students a year, Regents spokesman Michael Chanegy said. This year’s numbers are on he said. , the nation’ws largest school, had 2.2 percent growt h to enrollmentof 53,700.
Among the 23 two-year publicx schools, leapfrogged to becomse the largest inthe state. Columbue State grew by nearly 6 percentgto 24,200 students, while Cuyahoga Community fell nearly 6 percenf to 23,700. The public schools credited this year’s increase to severakl factors, including the state’w two-year tuition freeze, increased academic offerings, more flexiblw schedules and partnerships between schools that ease creditt transfers and allow students to take a variety of onlin courses within the fromone campus.
One of the obvious targetxs for future growth is adultsw who previously dropped out of collegwe or who havean associate’s degree and want to complet the bachelor’s, Jones In a down economy, he enrollment tends to go up as workeres seek to boost their resumes. Nationally, private schools especially have said the creditt crunch and economic downswing have led students to opt for schoolzs with lower tuition or work longefbefore enrolling. Ohio has not yet seen that trend, Jonesx said, but any impact would likely be next Among private schools inCentral Ohio, business-oriented grew by 264 studentx to 7,800, the largest in the region by far.
grew by 65 to while in Bexley dipped by 81 students to Official fall enrollment figures reported later in the year usually are a bit higherf because students sometimes are still registerinhg and changing schools on the day of the Octobetrhead count, Chaney said.