News

Increased enrollment may be linked to high tuition at CU schools

By Erin Williams
ewilli47@mscd.edu

Enrollment for transfer students from the University of Colorado-Boulder and UCD is on the rise.

With a 29 percent increase from CU-Boulder and 26 percent increase from UCD, Metro's Office of Admissions said it is beginning to wonder if the increase in student tuition at both schools is sending students to campuses with cheaper tuition.

In-state tuition at CU-Boulder increased to $5,372 this year, up from $4,340 last fall for in-state students. Out-of-state tuition jumped from $21,452 to $22,826 for the 2005-06 school year.

In-state tuition for UCD rose from $4,093 to $4,457, and out-of-state climbed $16,035 to $16,427.

Metro's tuition this year for in-state is $2,779 and out-of-state is $10,007.

Student enrollment this year has also decreased at CU-Boulder, many say due to the jump in tuition.

"Since this year's enrollment is the first year that indicates this trend, we can't quantify that as a direct correlation," said Metro spokesperson Cathy Lucas. "We will be looking into this through future research."

Metro has been accepting more transfer students in the last few years, especially this year, with a greater increase from CU-Boulder and UCD.

Metro's current student population is 21,109, with an increase of 318 students from last fall.

"It's a two-sided coin; we see this as a growth opportunity, but you also need the resources to accommodate this growth," Lucas said.

Metro has been trying to adapt to the expanding student body. Lucas said resources, such as staff, parking and classrooms, may start to feel a strain with more students, if they haven't already.

Lucas said other factors might also be responsible for the increase in enrollment at Metro, including active recruitment by the admissions office and the individual attention from staff and faculty in classrooms.

The Regency dorms, she said, may also add another element of attraction for future students.