Enrollment dip at American University adds to budget challenges
WASHINGTON - Enrollment numbers are down at one D.C. university - adding to a budget shortfall.
American University's President Jonathan Alger told students and staff Friday, that the enrollment and budget challenges are serious but solvable.
American's total full-time undergraduate enrollment is projected to be 7,004 students — 400 below their budget targets.
They will have 1,864 incoming freshmen, 386 below target.
The university blames a number of factors when it comes to lower enrollment, including regulatory changes to FAFSA calculations, a highly competitive higher education market, and "evolving student demographics."
The enrollment outcomes mean a $23 million revenue gap in the FY25 budget, but the university said they solved roughly $25 million through spending adjustments and a four-percent tuition increase.
Full-time tuition for students is nearly $58,000 a year.
They also plan to pause hiring non-critical positions, though it's unclear which roles fall into that category.
The university is adding "early action" applications starting this fall to compete with similar universities. It allows students to make a decision earlier.
FOX 5 spoke with Penelope Jennings, the Eagle student reporter who broke the enrollment story Friday.
She said the news is part of a continuing trend, not just here but nationwide, particularly with private colleges and universities.
"I think a lot of universities are experiencing similar things. It seems to largely be a post-Covid phenomenon but American I think, has definitely anticipated that this would be a problem," Jennings said. "There were similar budget shortfalls last year, so they're not in debt, but it's less money than they expected to have."
Meanwhile, the University of Maryland told FOX 5 they had approximately 60,000 applications for first-year students' admissions, and have seen slight increases year to year.
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Read the full letter sent to the American University community below:
Dear AU Community,
We hope you are all enjoying the summer. Following several recent key milestones, we want to continue updating you on our enrollment levels for FY25 and their impact on the university budget. As we noted in previous updates, numerous factors are contributing to difficult enrollment conditions both at AU and across higher education. The enrollment outcomes will continue to affect the budget and require additional steps that are outlined in this message. The enrollment and budget challenges are serious but solvable, and in a moment where we can act strategically and creatively, we will address them together as a community. Earlier this month, we completed the undergraduate transfer student enrollment process and the regular mid-July assessment of graduate enrollment results and projections. Total fall full-time undergraduate enrollment is projected at 7,004, which is 400 students below our budget targets. For the incoming class, we are projecting a total of 1,864 full-time students, which is 386 students below our targets. For returning students, we are currently projecting 5,140 full-time students, which is only 14 students below our targets and a hopeful sign for our ongoing retention efforts. Through this challenging enrollment season, we have maintained AU’s commitment to affordability and access. Despite not meeting our incoming student targets, the incoming class has demonstrated more need than anticipated, and we invested our resources to meet this need. Thus, we will not realize any financial aid savings. Regulatory changes to the FAFSA calculations, evolving student demographics, and the highly competitive higher education market contributed to this outcome. For graduate enrollment, traditional in-person credit hours (which is how we track graduate enrollment) are currently four (4) percent above our forecast. Graduate programs have rolling applications and admissions, and we continue to enroll students. However, online graduate programs are slightly below targets, due in part to challenges with external program partners and less-than-anticipated growth in some in-house online programs. The enrollment outcomes produce a $23 million revenue gap in the FY25 budget. When we built the FY25 budget earlier this year, we already solved for approximately $25 million primarily through spending adjustments. These challenges have been a core focus of President Alger and the leadership team for the past several months. As we move forward together with President Alger’s engagement and leadership, we will work collaboratively on the FY25 budget and enrollment in the following ways: Shared Governance––Addressing these challenges will feature community participation in decision-making at all levels from problem identification to developing alternative solutions and through the implementation and evaluation of any plans. We will continue to meet with key community stakeholders such as the University Budget Committee, Faculty Senate, and Staff Council and will also seek the input of others. Community Engagement and Creative Ideas––Every member of the AU community can help. Our faculty and staff have important insights about our work, and we ask for your ideas about how to generate new revenue, create additional efficiencies and savings, and support our students. We all are ambassadors for AU, and we can individually and collectively support our crucial enrollment and retention efforts. For example, August 2 is Preview Day, our premier open house event for prospective students and families. We encourage all community members to participate and help welcome potential future Eagles. Additionally, we will provide some specific possible actions to our teams to promote this engagement. Hiring and Vacancies––As discussed in our June 25 update, we are reviewing all open positions and hiring decisions. We must focus on mission-critical vacancies and determine what positions or functions can be paused as part of our savings. Further details will be shared by Human Resources in the coming weeks. Reserves––Our enrollment reserves will be part of the solution, but we cannot rely solely on these funds. New Budget Savings Targets––In the coming weeks, we will provide each school/college/administrative unit with updated FY25 savings targets. The University Budget Office will work with our teams to implement these new spending levels. Revenue Growth––We are actively exploring new revenue opportunities. The foundation is to consistently meet enrollment goals, but diverse revenue streams are critical. We are developing ideas in areas including increased rental income from our commercial properties, conference services, fundraising, and licensing, among others, and we will continue to explore ways to augment resources. Next Steps on Structure and Benefits––We will be engaging the community on potential actions and next steps based on the reviews and assessments conducted last academic year, including the workforce study and the benefits study. This will be an ongoing shared effort throughout the summer and fall. Final fall enrollment levels and any further changes to the FY25 budget will be determined in the census, which takes place in early October. We will provide updates as we work through these steps, following the fall census, and as we plan for the FY26-27 budget later this fall. As we have in previous semesters, we will hold a series of forums and community engagement opportunities beginning early in the fall. Thank you for your engagement in these important matters, your creative input, and your commitment to working together as we solve this challenge and position AU for future growth and success.
Sincerely,
Jonathan R. Alger
President, American University
Vicky Wilkins
Acting Provost and Chief Academic Officer
Bronté Burleigh-Jones
CFO, Vice President, and Treasurer
Sarah Baldassaro
Chief of Staff and Counselor to the President
Matt Bennett
Vice President and Chief Communications Officer
Traevena Byrd
Vice President, General Counsel, and Board Secretary
JM Caparro
Director, Athletics and Recreation
Nkenge Friday
Vice President, Inclusive Excellence
Dan Luperchio
Interim Vice President, University Advancement
Steve Munson
Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Raymond Ou
Vice President, Student Affairs
Evelyn Thimba
Vice President, Undergraduate Enrollment Management