Freshman class largest in UD history

When the Class of 2013 began its college career on Tuesday, it did so as the biggest freshman class in university history.

There are 3,846 freshmen this year, an increase of 320 over last year. The numbers exceed the planned increase of 250 students announced in February, but officials say the university is prepared to handle the extra students.

Director of Admissions Lou Hirsh said the decision to admit more students was in part to accommodate a demand among Delawareans to attend an in-state school because of the economic downturn, but the move is also seen as a way to bring more revenue to a university that just saw a significant decrease in its annual state aid.

"If you feel that you've got the capacity to handle more students and you're in a weak economy, it's pretty clear-cut the best thing you can do for your institution is not have.

The extra revenue was put toward financial aid and the hiring of additional faculty to accommodate the extra students, said Hirsh, who noted it always costs more to educate a student than the student pays in tuition. The difference is covered by state aid and the university's endowment.

The admissions department made the decision early last year to increase the size of the freshman class by 250, and has been working with other departments to make sure they are prepared, Hirsh said.

Officials were expecting a larger "summer melt,"—the number of students who put down a deposit in the spring but later choose not to attend the university—due to the economy. 

However, although the class lost 43 students since May, the final yields remained the same as those in past years, resulting in the larger-than-expected increase.

Still, Hirsh said, the university has the class space to accommodate the extra students.

"We're pretty confident the entering class has the sections it needs," he said. "They might not get every class they want when they want them, but they will have classes."

Accommodating the extra students

The increased size of the freshmen class meant the English department had to schedule extra sections of Critical Reading and Writing (ENGL110), the only class required for all freshmen.

This semester, there are 54 regular sections of ENGL 110, compared to 38 during the fall 2008 semester, said associate chair of the English department Peter Feng. That number does not include honors sections and sections for non-native speakers.

Feng said the department had to scramble to find staffing for the additional sections. As usual, most ENGL 110 classes are taught by supplemental faculty, he said.Finding classroom space for the other sections was also difficult, he said. As a result, many of the sections are at less-desirable times.

"That was a challenge," Feng said. "We found room, but some may have been scheduled out of prime time."

However, finding housing for the extra students was not a problem, said Linda Carey, director of housing assignment services, even though the 700-bed Gilbert Complex was demolished over the summer.

When the Independence Complex on Laird Campus was built several years ago, extra space was included in anticipation of a loss of beds on East Campus, Carey said. In addition, the three buildings of Russell Complex that were closed for renovations last year have reopened.

There are 110 triples this year, a figure Carey said is normal. Students are often moved out of triples as the semester progresses, he said.

Increase mostly Delawareans

A majority of the extra students are from Delaware, Hirsh said. The number of in-state students went from 962 in 2008 to 1,203 this year, an increase of 241.

Out-of-state enrollment increased by 81, from 2,562 to 2,643.

The increase coincides with the start of Commitment to Delawareans, a guarantee by the university to admit all qualified Delaware residents and to meet their full demonstrated financial aid.

Hirsh attributes the uptick in in-state enrollees to that pledge, in addition to the economy, which left more students looking to the university as a cheaper alternative to an out-of-state or private school.

This year, 2,963 Delawareans applied to the university, a 6.8 percent increase over 2008, he said.

In-state students still are a minority in the freshman class, with only 31 percent of incoming students hailing from Delaware. That is, however, an increase from last year, when Delawareans made up 27 percent of the freshman class.

Last year, 36 percent of all Newark campus undergraduates came from Delaware, a number that has steadily declined since 2003. The 2009 figure is not yet available.

Next year uncertain

Officials have not yet decided how many students to admit next year, Hirsh said. The Admissions Department will look at how the incoming class does this fall when deciding on next year's enrollment goal.

"A lot of it's decided by what the university feels it can handle," Hirsh said.

The decision also depends on what majors are filling up and which have space. This year, the elementary education major was one of the most open majors, Hirsh said.