The Utah System of Higher Education is projecting an increase in the number of students expected to attend Utah universities.
Dave Buhler is the commissioner of the Utah System of Higher Education. He said the forecasted increase comes from looking at multiple factors, which although may not be perfect, is a good estimate.
“We take a look at varies data points, including population by age, high school enrollments, unemployment estimates and use a regression and trend analysis to make an estimate based on those factors,” Buhler said.
The increase is estimated to be 50,000 additional students in the next 10 years. Buhler said that any increase will be good for Utah.
“I think that this is a very positive thing for our state because we know that the more people who are able to obtain a college education, the better off they will be as individuals and the better off our state will be as a whole,” Buhler said.
Katie Nielsen is the director of admissions at Utah State University. She said online classes are already being used to make sure there are enough classes for a growing number of students.
“When we look at these enrollment projections, that’s how we plan for classes. If we know we’re going to have an increase of say two or three percent, then we need to plan for the class size of it to make sure that we can accommodate that increase with classes,” Nielsen said. “And that’s another reason why there’s been so much of an increase for online options for students, to make sure that they can fill their schedules and be able to take classes when they need to, to fit their personal lives.”
She also said although enrollment drives tuition and tuition will probably increase, USU will continue to focus on having enough quality classes for those interested in attending.