DOCUMENT RESUME ED 192 654 HE 013 121 AUTHOR Mickley, J. Ernest TITLE Collegiate Enrollments in the U.S., 1979-30. Statistics, interpretations, and Trends in 4-Year and Related institutions. TEPORT NO ACT-27 PUB DATE 80 NOTE 90p. AVAILABLE FRCM ACT Publications, P.O. Box 168, Iowa City, IA 52243 (52.00 prepaid) EATS PRICE ME01/PC04 Plus Postage. CEsCRIPTnRS Allied Health Occupations Education: Annual Reports; Church Related Colleges; *College Attendance: College Faculty: College Freshen; *College Students: *Enrollment Trends: Females: Full Time Students: *Higher Education: Law Schools: Males; Medical Schools: Multicampus Colleges: National Surveys: Prvate Colleges: State Colleges: State Universities; Tables (Data) :Technical. Institutes; Trend Analysis ABSTRACT This 60th annual report on collegiate enrollments in the United States is based on data received from 1,635four-year institutions in the U.S., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Territories. General notes, survey methodology notes, anda summary of findings are presented. Detailed statistical charts present institutionft data on men and women students and staff in these categories: unitary state college and university systems: public universities and institutions cf complex organization: private universities and institutions cf complex organization: multipurpose colleges and universities: independent colleges of arts and sciences (liberal arts); music, fine arts, and applied arts schools; independent law, medicine, and allied health schools: independent technological, business administration, and related schools: Bible schools and colleges: and theological schools for lay workers. Summary dataare presented on: full-time entering freshman enrollments in 1200 comparable institutions: largest institutions: geographical divisions: and percentage enrollment changes for 1950-1979. (MSE) ************** _******** *** * ***** *** ****i **** ********** Reproductions supplied by EDES are the best that can be made from the original document. *41**-***********4014********************************************* ACT Special Report Twe y-seveti CollegiateEnrollments in the U.S.,1979-80 ReizItxl !nsfitut Statistics, Interpretations, endTrends in 4-Year and J. ErnestMidder Assistant Vice President forPlanning and Operetiora The University ofAlabama (\J THIS OF HEALTH. TOREPRODUCE U $ DEPARTMENTWELFARE "PERMISSION GRANTED BY EDUCATION & OF HAS BEEN Lt NATIONAL INSTITUTE MATERIAL EDUCATION HAS BEENAEPRO- THIS DOCUMENTAS RecElveoFROM OUCED EXACTLYORGANIZATION THE PERSON OROF VIEW OROPINIONS ACING IT POINTSNECESSARILY REPNE. DO NOT OF srAiet, NATIONAL INSTITUTE RESOURCES SENT OFFICIALPOSITION ORPOLICY EDUCATIONAL(ERIC) EDUCATION TO THE CENTER INFORMATION 2 Library at Congress Catalog CardNumber: 76-646920 For additional copie rite: ACT Publications P.O. Box 168 Iowa City, Iowa 52243 (Check or moneyorder must accompany request.) Price $2.00 v1980 by TheAmerican College Testing Program. All rightsreserved. COLLEGIATE ENROLLMENTS IN THEU.S 1979-80 Statistics, Interpretations, and Trends in 4-Year and Related Institutions J. Ernest Mick ler The 60th annual report on collegiateenrollments in the United States was based on data received from 1,635 four yearinstitutions in the U_S., Puerto Rico, and U.S. Territories, The grandtotal of student enrollments for fall 1979 was 6,929,323. Of these there were4,904,085 full-time and 2,016,731 students part-timestudents(8,507undesignetedstudents).Women comprised 49.5% of the population with mencomprising 50.5%. The studies were begun in 1919 andcontinued for 40 years by the late Dr_ Raymond Walters, long-time presidentof the University of Cincinnati. In 1960 Dr. Garland G. Parker ofCincinnati assumed the authorship and continued the studies for 19 years throughfall, 1978. Formerly the studies were published in Schooland Society and its successor Intellect.However, since 1975, The American CollegeTesting Program has published the studies as ACT Special Reports.A companion report on enrollmentsin American two-year institutions was begunin 1972-73, and ACT has publishedthis series since its inception, The 60th annual study of 4-yearinstitutions and the 8th annual studyof 2-year institutions were conducted in adifferent setting by a new researcher. Because of the feeling that there wasmerit in continuing the studies The University of Alabama became theinstitutional sponsor of the research in Planning and 1979.J.ErnestMick ler,AssistantVicePresidentfor Operations, assumed the responsibilityfor conducting the research, andACT agreed to continue its publication. As a non-governmental activity,requirements cannot be imposed on the reported submissionofdata.However, 83% ofeligibleinstitutions enrollments in time for inclusion inthe report (actually reports from 32 additional institutions with total enrollmentsin excess of 80,000 students were received too late toincorporate in the 4-year study). Thestudies have 2 COLLEGIATE ENROLLMENTS.1979.3a been based though theyears on comparable data. included in the calculation For enrament datato be of percentages ofchange, an institution have provided datafor the current must and immediatepreceding years. This procedure assures thatspurious changes are not reported Out insteadthat the changes are reliable andrepresent actual differences next. Great care has been from one year to the exercised to avoiderror in calculations and presentation of data;however, the author information submitted cannot be responsible for incorrectly. The AmericanCollege Testing Program assumes no resnr-,sibility forthe data, interpretations, the study. Ur and conclusions in lited, enrollments inthe tables are actual percentages counts, but the nt changes basedon comparable data institution. institution by Grand total enrollments register an increase of .8%,, nation's 4-year colleges Total enrollments in the and universities continueto fluctuate_ in fall, 1976 the first declineoccurred in tote; enrollments in 25 years, in fall,1977 there was growth of slightly lessthan 2%, and in fall, 1978 a slight decreaseof .3% was reported. In 1979growth occurred again by .5%. Theincrease was calculated on the basisof reports from 1,457 institutions whichreported enrollments in fall, 1978and again in fall, 1979. Total enrollmentsand percentage changes bycategory as defined unitary on page17 were as follows:141 systems,1,781,120.+2.9%;138 public complex 1,928,825, 1.4%; 72 universities, private complexuniversities, 686,338,2.1%; 270 multipurpose collegesand universities, 1,347.664, +.2%; 661arts and sciences, 861,285,+1.8%; 39 music, fine arts, and applied arts,24,670, +2.7%; 60 independent,law, med:cine, and all'ied health schools,40,829, +.6%; 88 technological,business, and related Bible colleges 22,602, schools, 204,061, +1.8%;55 +..1%; and 111 theologicalschools, 31,929, +2.3%. Despite an overall gain,there were declines in and public complex total enrollments in theprivate universities of 2.1%and 1.4% respectively,In two categories whichrepresent approximately 38% 1,635 reporting of the enrollmentsin the institutions, this lossamounts to approximately students. However, 37,000 most 01:: the declinewas accounted for in the student category. Gains part-time in enrollmentranged from 2.9% highest increase to .1% with the reported by the unitarystate college and university least increase bythe Bible colleges. and the Between the extremeswere music, fine arts, and appliedarts schools with +2.7%; theological schools with2.3%; COLLEGIATE ENROLLMENTS, 1979-80 3 :liegesofartsand sciences and independent technological,business :ministration andrelated schools with +1.8% each; independent law, medicine, and allied health schools with +.6%; and multipurpose colleges and universities, with +.2%. Full-time enrollment show an even greater gain up 1.7%. Full-time student enrollments accounted for 71% of the reporting population in the 1979 data. This figure does not reflect much change over the past year or so; however, there were some fairly significant shifts in part-time enrollments. Only two categories of institutions had declines in full-time enrollments in fall, 1979: Multipurpose colleges and universities with less than -.1% and theological schools with 2.3%. Each of these categories experienced total enrollment gains as reported above. The full-time enrollment percentages of increase ranged from 3.1% reported by the unitary systems to 1.2% reported by the private-complex universities, Details of enrollments by ca'.egory are in thefollowingsections.Listingsbyinstitutionswithin categoriesare presented in Tables 1-10. Unitary systems report a 3.1% increase in full-time enrollments. The unitary state systems account for 26% of the total number of students enrolled in the 1,635 institutions which ren.irted this year By definition these systems include all higher education campuses which are controlled by statewide boards and administered by an executive officer with statewide system responsibilities. There were 1,201,981 full-time students reported by the 141 campuses of the unitary state systems, a gain of 3.1% over the 1978 totals from comparable institutions. Total enrollment on the unitary systems campuses for fall, 1979 was 1,781,120, ia gain of 2.9% over figures reported by the same units last year. A notable decline was observed in full-time faculty with a decrease of 5.2 %©. Yet, there was an overallincreaseintotalfaculty of 4.9%. A logical explanationfor this change isthat part-time faculty members can be employed with less cost to the institution than full-time, tenure