Summer enrollment drops below 12,000

Students leave Gilman Hall at the end of a summer session chemistry class. Photo by Christopher Gannon.

Iowa State's summer enrollment is 11,675 -- 385 fewer students than last summer's record-setting 12,060 students. Summer 2018 numbers include:

• 8,049 undergraduates, a decrease of 336 (4 percent) from last summer
• 3,126 graduate students, a decrease of 69 (2 percent) from last year
• 345 post docs, an increase of 15 (4.5 percent) over last summer

"Our overall enrollment continues to be strong," said Laura Doering, associate vice president for enrollment management and student success. "After a decade of enrollment increases, the university is experiencing a slight decline in overall enrollment as larger classes are graduating and being replaced by smaller new classes."

Doering said Iowa State graduated a record number of students during the 2017-18 academic year, with 8,310 degrees conferred -- including degrees to 4,919 Iowans. 

The summer census day is the 10th day of the second session (June 22). The count reflects all registration through that day and includes classes that concluded prior to it.

Some increases noted

If it doesn't feel like there are nearly 12,000 students here this summer, you're right. The number of Iowa State summer students who enroll only in online courses continues to grow. That number, a subset of total enrollment, rose 120 students to 3,996 this summer, or 34 percent of all summer students. A year ago, online-only students made up 32 percent of all summer enrollees.

Despite the overall decline, three colleges registered slight increases in their summer enrollments: Business, Design and Veterinary Medicine.

Summer enrollment by college

Spring is a predictor of summer

Registrar Mark Simpson said this summer's enrollment nearly mirrors the average of the previous five summers, 11,679 students. He also noted that this summer's decline is consistent -- perhaps even predictable -- with spring semester's enrollment decline, after more than a decade of a steady climb in spring enrollments.

And while it served a limited number of students -- about 50 each summer -- this was the first year Iowa State didn't offer the summer trial program for new freshmen who don't meet the minimum score on the Regent Admission Index. The summer program was replaced by other strategies to support at-risk first-year students.

Six years: Spring and summer enrollments