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Enrollment dips for the summer

Course availability and limited financial aid may be among reasons 
for lower numbers

By Portia-Elaine Gant
The Daily Cougar

Enrollment for the first summer session is approximately 11,400, a decrease from the same time last summer, Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management Ed Apodaca said. He attributed the decrease to a number of reasons, chief among them expiring financial aid.

"A lot of students have run out of eligibility for the year," Apodaca said. "The summer is part of their prior year's academic budget, and many of them must go back to work."

Summer school enrollment has not fluctuated widely over the years, he said, but more could be done to retain students.

"Sometimes, if we're not careful, we take (summer school) for granted as part of the work that we do. We take it as another day at work," Apodaca said. "But there is a lot we could do to encourage students to go to summer school. That's something we're still working on."

Nevertheless, Apodaca said a limited amount of aid coupled with tuition costs -- and room and board for some students -- could still be keeping enrollment low.

"Sometimes, they have some funds, but not enough to cover both tuition and room and board, so they've chosen not to go to summer school," he said.

In response, some students have opted to take their summer classes elsewhere.

"If students are able to get the same course at a junior college, of course they'll look at that," Apodaca said. "Some students also said that the courses they wanted were not available. As the cost of attendance increases, students are working for the summer as well."

Regardless, Apodaca said UH carries a surprising number of students during the summer, many of them what he called "transient" -- for example, post-baccalaureate students who are teaching and taking some courses between semesters.

"We probably have one of the largest programs in the state," he said. "Obviously, when you get almost 12,000 students, it's not by accident."

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