At Liaison, we deal in data — after all, 7,000 programs on 800 campuses trust us to process 2,200,000 applications each year. That’s why we make a point to stay up to date on the latest numbers around trends in higher ed. Read on for some of the stories that have caught our eyes over the last few months.
1,000+
That’s how many higher ed institutions have decided to no longer require standardized test scores. As grades and SAT scores become less indicative of “best fit,” schools are turning to other factors, including “demonstrated interest” and ability to pay. Source: The Atlantic
$20,780
That’s the lowest tuition price offered at Fairmont Private School in Orange County, CA, an institution that now guarantees its graduates will be accepted to and receive scholarships for tuition at the Top 100 U.S. colleges or universities. The school’s “Fairmont College Promise” also guarantees to convert up to 100% of tuition paid to attend its high school into a scholarship to a college of choice if the promise is not met. Source: Inside Higher Ed
23%
That’s the percentage of international students who will be attending Franklin & Marshall College n Fall 2018, even though international enrollment dropped by 7% across the U.S. last year. This is a 15% increase from the college’s fall 2017 enrollment numbers. Source: Inside Higher Ed
76%
That’s the percentage of American faculty members who are white, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Many institutions are still struggling to recognize the importance of recruiting and better supporting faculty members of color. Source: Education Dive
359
That’s how many of the nation’s minority-serving colleges were examined in a new report by the American Council on Education. The report found that lower-income students who attend minority-serving colleges are “more likely to see a jump in their economic status than those who attend other colleges.” Source: Inside Higher Ed
62%
That’s how much freshman applications to Miami University of Ohio rose in five years when the school used various recruiting strategies to expand their base of out-of-state students, a tactic often used by private colleges and universities with regional and national reputations. Source: The Huffington Post
14 Million
That’s how many Walmart employees will be eligible for subsidized associate’s and bachelor’s degrees through the corporation’s partnership with Guild Education. For as little as $1 a day, employees can earn degrees in business or supply-chain management. Source: Inside Higher Ed
24
That’s how many Obama-era guidelines surrounding diversity in higher ed were reversed by Attorney General Jeff Sessions in early July 2018. The administration has deemed these guidelines “unnecessary, outdated, inconsistent with existing law or otherwise improper” and claims that they violate Supreme Court precedent on affirmative action. Source: The Hill
5
That’s how many years Chinese student-visa holders are currently allowed to live in the United States. The U.S. State Department hopes to further limit the length of student visas due to China’s alleged theft of American intellectual property. In response, the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and the American Council on Education have issued statements opposing the change. Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education
47%
That’s the percentage of women with bachelor’s degrees who are “underemployed” — that is, in a position that does not require a degree in their first job out of college. According to a study by Burning Glass Technologies, that’s compared to only 37% of male graduates who find themselves in a similar position. Unfortunately, all graduates whose first jobs do not require a bachelor’s degree are significantly likelier than those whose first jobs do require a degree to still be underemployed five years later. Source: Inside Higher Ed
84,000
That’s how many students enrolled in the University of Illinois system in Fall 2017, a number which shattered the school’s record. The enrollment boost and corresponding revenue growth was the catalyst for a plan to hire hundreds of new faculty members over the next five years after the system has suffered from “especially conservative” hiring and state budget issues. Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education
Fewer than 1 in 20
That’s number of degrees that are in humanities disciplines traditionally associated with the liberal arts. In 1967, it was 1 in 5 degrees. The decline in humanities degrees is representative of the struggles many small liberal arts colleges are facing today as they are challenged to make a case for themselves while many institutions are cutting liberal arts majors. Source: The Hechinger Report