Changing demographics of college admissions Patrick Frazier Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Western Carolina University

Overview Demographics Ethnic demographics High school graduates Competitive changes Student control Uncertain times

WHAT DOES “CHANGING DEMOGRAPHICS” MEAN TO YOU?

Types of Demographics Ethnicity Gender Age Nationality Education level High school graduate Community college graduate Some amount of higher education credits No degree

CHANGING ETHNIC DEMOGRAPHIC

Changing Gender Demographics White (non- Hispanic) Black (non- Hispanic) Asian/ Pacific Islander Hispanic 10-year Change in National High School Graduates -107,536-36,764+55, ,995 Mean Family Income$83,070$53,196$94,803$54,196 College Enrollment Rate29.9%19.3%52.3%13.2% Mean Distance Traveled102 miles98 miles60 miles39 miles Average SAT Score (CR/M) Average ACT Score (Composite) % of LY Enrollments 32.9%20.9%23.7%15.6% Sources: Knocking at the College Door, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, 2012 National Center for Education Statistics and Census Bureau CPS; 2013 College Bound Seniors – Total Group Profile Report, College Board, 2013; ACT Profile Report – National, Graduating Class 2013, ACT

What will future changes look like? Will the current trends continue? Have you noticed these trends on your campus? Missing ethnic group/classification? Multi-racial

New Student Diversity at WCU

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES

North Carolina high school graduates

How well do you know the trends? Why was there a dramatic drop in 2021? How far in advance are you looking at graduation projections in your state? Are the projections the same in every state? What happens when you look at the graduation rates based on geographic regions?

Changes in high school graduates: South Grows 3.6% 720 Colleges West Grows 0.9% 407 Colleges Midwest Declines 3.6% 543 Colleges Northeast Declines 2.3% 515 Colleges

COMPETITIVE CHANGES

What data are you using? Number of suspects Number of prospects Applications Accepted students Enrolled students

Fall 2014 WCU Entering Class Enrolled: 1,745 Admitted: 6,638 Applications: 15,398 Prospects: 55,001 Suspects: 256,390

STUDENT CONTROL

Student Application Buyers Market

National Yield Rate Since 2001 Source: IPEDS

UNCERTAIN TIMES

Changes occur without warning Student preferences Influx of new demographics of students Loss of demographics of students Services available for various demographics Unexpected changes in the number of available students

QUESTIONS & COMMENTS