According to new data by the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia (SCHEV), Longwood University’s undergraduate enrollment from fall 2021 to fall 2022 decreased from 3,485 to 3,154, a loss of 331 students. This rate is down from the fall 2020 to fall 2021 when the institution’s undergraduate enrollment decreased from 3,940 to 3,485, a loss of 455 students.
As Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Success Dr. Jennifer Green said, the university’s undergraduate enrollment decreased by approximately 10% from fall 2020 to fall 2022. “If you include graduate enrollment, it would be much less because we’ve had an increase over the years in [graduate enrollment].”
Longwood’s enrollment decline has been consistent with national trends following the Covid-19 pandemic. “Pre-Covid, it [enrollment] was pretty constant,” said Green. “In fall 2020, the retention rate from freshmen to sophomores was down, and that was a national trend.” As Forbes magazine said, the average national retention rate for first-year students returning for their second year in fall 2020 was 66.2%.
Since the pandemic, levels of enrollment in all undergraduate classes have fluctuated. From fall 2020 to fall 2022, the number of seniors varied from 972 to 976 to 825 students, as SCHEV online records show. Isolation during the first two years of the pandemic also fractured students’ social connections and the creation of new relationships, as Dean of Admissions Jason Ferguson said. Consequently, “a lot of students stop thinking about college as being the next step,” said Ferguson.
Despite Covid-19’s aftermath in higher education enrollment, Longwood’s retention rates are also stabilizing. After dipping to 72.8% in fall 2020, the undergraduate retention rate for the fall 2021 cohort is now 76.1%, according to SCHEV records.“The reenrollment from fall to spring is much more like it was pre-Covid...it’s higher than it has been in years,” said Green. In a follow-up email from Green, she stated the re enrollment rate from the fall 2022 to spring 2023 semester is approximately 90%. Based on admissions and student success data, Green expects retention to rebound to pre-Covid rates from 2019, which is around 78%, in the coming years.
To track undergraduate numbers, Longwood’s admissions office creates projections for each incoming freshman class. While the committed student numbers continue to fluctuate before National Decision Day on May 1, Ferguson is hopeful for the class of 2027’s enrollment. “I would like to see us where we were last year…850 would be a figure we’d like to see,” said Ferguson. An incoming class of 850 freshmen would be consistent with the 852 first-time freshmen who arrived in the fall 2022 semester, as SCHEV online data shows.
Although the enrollment decline is slowing down at Longwood and at higher education institutions across the nation, undergraduate enrollment continues to decrease due to concerns over rising tuition costs and student loan debt, as Forbes said. According to The Hechinger Report, a decrease in the population of high school graduates will cause college enrollment numbers to drop nationwide by as much as 15% in 2025. Ferguson even expects “a population demographic cliff” to affect Longwood in 2025.
Despite the continuing challenges, Ferguson is optimistic for Longwood’s admissions and enrollment future. “Longwood is in a good spot…the administration is not taking a reactive look at the figures…it’s being very proactive,” said Ferguson.
The enrollment management and student success office contributes to this approach by reviewing student experiences, including the university’s coaching group and peer mentor model. “Students that engage at least one time with their coaching group have higher GPAs and higher retention rates,” said Green.
To mitigate further enrollment decline, Longwood’s admissions office plans to continue encouraging student relationships through coaching groups and connecting students with campus resources. “We will continue to reevaluate our [admissions] process…and how we market,” said Ferguson. “Our goal is a personal approach to recruiting that helps us show off the care and attention we know Longwood provides.”
