Fall 2013 Enrollment on Track with Objectives

A message to University of Oregon faculty and staff from Vice President for Enrollment Management Roger J. Thompson, November 22, 2013.

Dear Colleagues,

Last week's release of fall enrollment data by the Oregon University System serves as a catalyst for an up-close look at the University of Oregon's enrollment goals and recent results. What is our focus in recruiting new students to the UO, and how does that serve the university's mission of making world-class educational opportunities available to all qualified Oregon students?

The answers will gratify anyone with high hopes for the university and the state of Oregon. This is the time of year when all of us at the UO see the future of our state—a changing portrait of hope, optimism, and pride in our young people.

We currently have five primary enrollment goals: Increase academic quality, ethnic and socio-economic diversity, and international enrollment; maintain the UO's affordability, especially for Oregon students; and improve graduation rates by increasing freshman-to-sophomore retention. We have elected not to increase overall enrollment until faculty numbers and facilities catch up with our recent increases in students.

In each of the five areas we identified as critical indicators of our success, this fall's enrollment data indicate we are right on track:

  • We established new UO records for freshman class academic quality, with the highest averages ever for high school grade point average and admissions test scores. We're especially proud of the average high school GPA of 3.60 for this year's incoming freshmen, compared to 3.57 last year and 3.40 in 2000. Further, this group brought to the UO more Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) work as new students than any group prior.
  • This fall's freshman class set new UO records for diversity, with the largest number of domestic minority students in university history. Our entering class includes 27 percent who identified themselves as being from domestic minority groups—an increase of 2 percent from last year and 9 percent from five years ago.
  • Ten percent of our entering freshmen are from countries other than the United States. That isn't quite a record, but it matches last year's percentage and meets our objective by raising the UO's overall international enrollment to a new level.
  • This year's freshman class is also the most socioeconomically diverse in UO history. We enrolled a record number of Pell Grant-eligible students—37 percent—and increased our institutional aid to this population by redesigning our PathwayOregon program. We introduced new scholarship programs that increase funding for high-achieving Oregon students (Summit, Apex, and Stamps), and continued the Solari scholarships for students from middle-income families. The combination of these programs provides assistance to a wide range of Oregon students, and helps to make a college degree at the UO more affordable.
  • Our efforts to improve retention rates continued with great news this fall. Our freshman-to-sophomore retention rate reached 87 percent, the highest rate in UO history—breaking our record of 86 percent set two years ago. Our 87 percent retention rate is considerably higher than that of any other OUS institution, and we will continue to focus on increasing this rate in the coming years. 

Prospective students are more aware than ever of our university's academic strength and broad spectrum of excellence, inside and outside the classroom. We have also made admission to the UO more accessible and affordable than ever for high-performing students.

The UO enrolled students this fall from every state in the U.S. and from nearly 100 countries around the world. But never have we been more sharply focused on local talent—the top students and most promising minds that Oregon produces.

We prepare our students for the 21st century workplace, and to contribute to a growing, vibrant Oregon economy. 

These are good reasons to feel optimistic—about the UO's newest freshman class and the future of our entire state.

Sincerely,

Roger J. Thompson
Vice President for Enrollment Management