Summer Enrollment
Where Are The New Students?
The 2005 summer session is drawing to a close. Final enrollment figures are not portraying an encouraging trend for Cuesta, which had a total summer enrollment of 3,227 students, down 322 students or 9.1 percent from summer 2004.
Total summer enrollment for the San Luis Obispo Campus was 2,330, down 12.8 percent from 2,671 students in summer 2004. The North County Campus had a 16.3 percent drop from last summer, with a total of 519 – down from 620 students. However, enrollment in the South County more than doubled from last summer, with 36 students this year as compared to 14 last year. Distance Education showed a significant 32.5 percent increase, with a total of 497 students this summer – up from 375 at the same time last year.
Two categories in the student population stand out in the dwindling numbers: new students and high school enrichment students (concurrent enrollment). The total of new students for all Cuesta locations showed an incredible 71.4 percent decline, with 215 as compared to 753 last summer. The San Luis Obispo Campus on its own showed a 79.1 percent decline in new students, with a 45.9 percent decline at the North County Campus and a 75.4 percent decline in Distance Education.
Local high schools contributed just over 50 percent of the 215 new students this year, with a total of 108 students. Last summer, local high school students totaled 205, making up only 27 percent of the 753 new students. The number of high school students that are concurrently enrolled showed a 44.6 percent decline from last summer.
All other categories in the student population showed increases from summer 2004. For all locations, new transfer students increased by 10.8 percent; returning students increased by 116.1 percent; and continuing students increased by 7.8 percent.
These increases may be due to increased summer marketing efforts. Letters containing registration and financial aid information were sent to local high school seniors, while a summer class schedule and a letter was sent to every former Cuesta student who had (1) registered but dropped all of their classes in the spring and/or (2) applied but had not registered for summer.
In addition, glossy 3 by 5 “postcards” were sent out shortly before the start of the summer session, once again reminding students of registration. These postcards were sent to all students who had applied but registered, as a follow up to the class schedule that was mailed. These efforts supplemented intensified television, radio and print advertising, along with outreach efforts at Farmers’ Market. Similar marketing efforts will continue for fall registration.