Economics, community colleges, demographics: Oakland University fights for enrollment

In the span of two years, Oakland University (OU) of Auburn Hills, Michigan has watched enrollment decrease by 7.4%. OU does not stand alone in these numbers—across the state, 15 public universities have averaged a drop of 6.3% in enrollment since 2019.

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“When you think about the reason why Oakland has been seeing some declines in enrollment…there are really three big reasons,” said Shane Lewis, director of admissions at OU. Lewis attributes the plummet in higher education to national economics, growth in community colleges, and shrinking demographics.

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“Students…are torn between pursuing higher education and providing for their families,” Lewis said. “When they can get jobs at $15 to $18 an hour, it’s much more enticing for them to go right into the work force.”

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Michigan has one of the widest gaps in enrollment costs between two-year schools, such as trade education, and four-year universities. The cost of obtaining a four-year degree is nearly 350% higher than attending a vocational or trade school.

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“[It’s] more difficult for us to share the value of higher education and how, in the long run, that’s going to be potentially a better option for them,” Lewis said.

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The second struggle OU faces are the shrinking demographics across the state.

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“There were just fewer students born 18 years ago and that’s going to continue to decline, unfortunately, through the 2030’s and beyond,” Lewis said. “Michigan is facing what they call a ‘demographic cliff’, where there will just be fewer students enrolling in high school, and thereby fewer students even eligible to go to college—they just don’t exist.”

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The last hurtle OU faces in the race for enrollment is community colleges.

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Some community colleges are seeing a double-digit enrollment increase this past year due to state programs like Futures for Frontliners and Michigan Reconnect.

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Futures for Frontliners is a state scholarship program open to Michiganders without college degrees who worked in an essential industry during the COVID-19 shutdown in Spring 2020. This scholarship provides frontliners, from law enforcement personnel to grocery store cashiers, with tuition-free admission to community colleges. 

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Michigan Reconnect is another state scholarship opportunity for Michigan residents over the age of 25. This scholarship program will front the cost of attending an in-district community college, or provide a $1500 scholarship for those interested in attending trade school.

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These programs are all a part of Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s Sixty by 30 goal. The statewide goal aims to have 60% of Michiganders earn a postsecondary certificate or degree by the year 2030.

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Public universities across the state are haunted by falling enrollment numbers as well.

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Western Michigan University is comparable to OU, with their enrollment dropping by 7.1% this past fall.

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Central Michigan University’s (CMU) fall enrollment dropped 10% compared to 2020. CMU has watched enrollment drop an alarming 43% over the past decade.

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The University of Michigan (U-M) was the only one of Michigan’s public universities to see enrollment numbers rise. This past fall, U-M reached an all-time high in enrollment at their Ann Arbor campus with over 50,000 students, an overall increase of 3%.

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Despite enrollment numbers dropping, OU is ranked No. 3 statewide for offering financial assistance to students, with the intention that they will graduate with lower student loan debt. OU will continue to put their students’ interests first, in hopes of seeing enrollment numbers rise once more.

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