2010 New Student Enrollment and Retention Report
Fall 2010 enrollment and retention at four-year and two-year institutions
This report documents fall 2010 new student enrollment and retention in higher education at the undergraduate level, based on a national, Web-based poll Noel-Levitz conducted of college and university admissions officials between September 28 and October 12, 2010. In addition to collecting official census data for fall 2010, the poll collected fall 2009 census data and fall 2010 institutional goals for comparison and context.
Among the highlights:
- New student enrollment and retention rose on more than half of campuses again this fall, and this time the biggest gains were at four-year private institutions—a reversal from a year ago when two-year public institutions led the way.
- Declines in new FTIC (first-time-in-college) students were reported by nearly 30 percent of four-year institutions and by approximately 40 percent of two-year institutions.
- The greatest variability in outcomes was reported by four-year private institutions.
- Nearly two-thirds of four-year institutions, public and private, reported setting more aggressive enrollment goals for fall 2010 compared to a year earlier, creating a more competitive climate.
This report is part of the Higher Education Benchmarks report series.
