Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
The number of first-time Wright State University students who enrolled this fall is the highest since 2019, but the figures are still not back to where they were before the pandemic.
Wright State had 1,541 first-time students this semester, a 10.5% increase from fall 2021, and the highest number of first-time students since 2019, when the university enrolled 1,692 first-time students.
“This increased enrollment signals Wright State’s recognition as an excellent value in higher education and an outstanding destination for students to further their education,” said Susan Schauer, vice president for enrollment management and student success.
The decline in enrollment was so bad in February 2021, WSU trustees voted to retrench 113 faculty positions, meaning that those positions would be cut in some way. Most of the positions were cut through retirements and people leaving for other jobs, and the university ultimately retrenched 16 faculty members. The university cited declines in enrollment as why the cuts needed to occur.
Wright State saw first-time student enrollment drop from 2,676 in fall 2015 to 1,541 students in fall 2022, a 42% decline.
WSU president Sue Edwards said improvements still need to be made in terms of enrollment. In addition to student recruitment goals, she set the goal of 75% retention by 2025, but the university is currently at 64% retention. Retention is a measure of how many students remain enrolled at the university year after year.
