Number of students in Utah is decreasing for first time in years

The number of state funded full-time students in public higher education has dropped slightly, which at least means unfunded enrollment growth won't become an even bigger problem.

It also means the Utah Board of Regents and Utah System of Higher Education officials can turn their efforts toward asking lawmakers to fund other critical needs, according to USHE officials.

The new enrollment numbers released this week show the total "budget-related" head count is down by .18 percent for fall 2004 to 94,406 full-time equivalent, or FTE, students. It's the first decrease in this category of students in "several" years, according to regents spokesman Dave Buhler.

"Self-supporting" FTEs increased 21.12 percent, but no state operating funding is requested for those 5,661 students — who include students paying out-of-state tuition or taking such things as contract courses, conferences or workshops. Total FTEs, therefore, are actually up .82 percent.

The total head count, which includes part-time students, is up 2.8 percent to 144,873 students, which does not include Utah College of Applied Technology students who attend class on an open-entry, open-exit format. All enrollment totals are based on third-week figures for fall 2004.

It's the lower budget-related FTE number that is bringing "relief" to regents.

"It's a short pause," Buhler said. "We think that, long term, we'll see some pretty dynamic enrollment growth."

The slowdown in growth is an indicator that the economy, at least in Utah, is doing better, Buhler said. That's because in harder times, he added, more people go back to school for more training or to further their education and chances in the job market.

About 7,000 unfunded students from the past three years are still attending Utah's 10 public colleges and universities, which had to pay to educate their new students out of their own budgets with no state help. Talks of getting the state to play catch-up have turned to focusing on other budget priorities and more possible tuition increases, in the range of 10 percent a year for the next five years.

Utah Commissioner of Higher Education Rich Kendell wrote in an Oct. 12 memorandum to regents, "Given the continued uncertainty of the state's fiscal climate and limited availability of new funds, the 2005-2006 request will focus clearly on the system's highest priorities," which include compensation and infrastructure needs.