Swelling Freshman Crowds Signal Success for UC Enrollment Strategy

For the first time in UC’s history, the university has placed students who have been accepted to UC – but who have not confirmed their admission – on a wait list. After four years of gradually building enrollment, UC’s freshman applications for fall 2007 skyrocketed.

UC anticipates its largest freshman class in decades this fall, with a significant increase in students confirming that they’re coming to the Uptown Campus. Students who’ve applied and have been accepted to UC but who haven’t confirmed their admission are advised to act now if they want a seat in class on the Uptown Campus this fall.

More than 3,600 prospective first-year students were notified of UC’s swelling first-year student enrollment this week in a letter from UC Admissions, advising them that UC must have their confirmation of admission by June 29. The letter holds a Web link so that students can confirm their admission online. Any later could result in referral to the branch campuses or a wait list until room opens up on the Uptown Campus.

“We believe the vast majority of these students have made other plans and have simply not notified UC of their intention to go elsewhere,” says Caroline Miller, associate vice president for Enrollment Management. “However, it’s important that we accurately plan for our classroom availability, so we’re reaching out to those who may have just made decisions or who perhaps forgot to act on confirming their enrollment.”

Based on current enrollment projections, UC is planning for as many as 4,300 first-time students this fall on the main campus – over 400 additional students than what was expected for the incoming freshman class. It is estimated that UC’s total student population will top 36,000 students for the first time since 1991.

“The remarkable demand we see this year is a testament to a successful long-term plan to strategically build UC’s enrollment,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Mitchel D. Livingston. “Large numbers of incoming students, plus better retention of current students, will produce the largest student population UC has seen in nearly 20 years.”

Thomas Canepa, assistant vice president for admissions, says three factors are involved with the overflow crowds:

• Transformation of campus – More prospective students and their parents are visiting UC and they’re impressed with what they see. Canepa reports campus tours are up more than 50 percent over last year. “Once people visit UC, they find it is way beyond their expectations for what they thought they would see on an urban campus,” explains Canepa. That includes an internationally recognized Master Plan featuring signature architects and a MainStreet corridor of green spaces and buildings where students, faculty and friends can learn, talk, shop, work and play. After more than 15 years of construction through campus, students and visitors are enjoying the results, with the only fences remaining encompassing a renovation at Teachers College.
• Spreading the message – A marketing campaign is spreading the word about the hometown university with a worldwide impact.
• Raising the Bar – Beginning with the 2006 freshman class, UC launched an academic success plan to improve graduation and retention rates as part of the UC|21 Strategic Plan. Standards were slightly increased for the incoming 2007 class of freshman. Many of UC’s highly competitive colleges already had competitive admissions standards and retained those requirements as part of the academic success plan.

“When people look at UC now, they know they’re now looking at a major public research institution – an institution that offers high-quality programs,” says Canepa.

Currently, UC’s residence halls are still taking reservations from incoming freshmen but are nearing capacity, according to Todd Duncan, director of Housing & Food Services. If the new freshmen planning to live on campus begin to outnumber the spaces available, Duncan says students will be referred to nearby housing at the university-affiliated Stratford Heights community, located on Clifton Avenue. As part of university policy, all unmarried first-time students who do not live within a 50-mile radius of UC are required to live in the residence halls during their first academic year.

UC is also announcing earlier deadlines for new students applying for autumn 2008. The priority application deadline for scholarship consideration is moving up to Dec. 15. Previously, that deadline was Jan. 15.

UC’s branch campuses – Raymond Walters College and Clermont College – will retain their traditional admissions policies which run through the first week of school.

Students with additional questions about confirming their admission to UC can call 513-556-1100 or e-mail admissions@uc.edu

UC’s two-day Bearcat Bound Orientation for new students gets underway on June 21 and runs through Aug. 2.