There is no right way to forecast college enrollments; in many instances, it will be prudent to use both qualitative and quantitative methods. Methods chosen must be relevant to questions addressed, policies and decisions at stake, and time and talent required. While it is tempting to start quickly, enrollment forecasting is an area in which…

Revenue forecasting is the critical first step in most college and university budget-planning processes. While it seems a straightforward exercise, effective forecasting requires consideration of a number of interacting internal and external variables, including demographic trends, economic conditions, and broad social priorities. The challenge…

Patterns emerging in a trend toward increased enrollment in private colleges are examined, focusing on the relationship of size, selectivity, location, women's colleges, historically Black colleges, and enrollment change. (MSE)

A study analyzed the impact of college tuition and student aid changes in the 1980s on enrollment, using price-response measures to examine why total enrollment remained stable while low-income enrollment declined. The technique is found useful for explaining the consequences of price policy choices. (MSE)

Traces the efforts of the Division of Continuing Studies at a large northeastern state university to regain fiscal solvency through business and leadership techniques including management by objectives, section management, and a course confirmation formula. Warns program administrators about potential problems with break-even registration…

The "Projections" report finds that the population surge of children of the baby boom ("baby boom echo") has moved into the high school and postsecondary education spheres. To be effective, education policies at all levels must reflect the changes in student enrollment predicted in the "Projections." Focuses on…

A survey of Fortune 1000 companies and 300 current Master's in Business Administration (MBA) students examined corporate policies regarding benefits for contract workers compared to permanent employees. Comparison with students' attitudes concerning the importance of employer tuition reimbursement suggest that the increasing use of contract…

This article examines the steps in creating a facilities master plan. The facilities master plan is a long-range look at the development of one's facilities, combined with an implementation plan that indicates the steps, sequence and costs to get one there. There are three basic steps: (1) analyzing what one has (assessing one's facilities to…

Changing patterns in how students apply to colleges and universities have affected the way institutional researchers project enrollment. This paper explores the usefulness of adding student prematriculation activities (i.e., commitment to enroll, registration patterns, and academic ability). Trends in prematriculation activity identified include…

Designed to help community college leaders plan for the programs and services that will be needed to serve students in the future, this report describes findings and recommendations developed by nearly 600 California community college practitioners participating in seminars and forums sponsored by the Community College League of California's…

This paper describes the initial analyses needed to help institutions of higher education plan majors in nursing and allied health as institutions look for new markets based on demographic and employment factors. Twelve variables were identified and weighted to describe an ideal recruitment market. Using a three-phase process, potential U.S.…

This study examined whether the use of trend analysis combined with analysis of persistence variables can be used to establish a model to forecast the first-year persistence of college freshmen. A linear model was created using data on 2,603 first-time freshmen at a moderate-sized comprehensive university from fall 1989 through fall 1993. The…

This report examines the consequences of increased student demand for higher education in Colorado, in light of constrained resources for state-supported higher education, and offers strategies to address this demand. The report describes enrollment trends at Colorado colleges and universities, workforce training needs, and trends in state funding…

This paper describes the national demographic and economic context of higher education and offers interpretations of what it portends, in order to illuminate the changing environment of higher education. The discussion focuses on: (1) demographic trends, such as the projected annual enrollment growth in the 1990s of 1.2 percent and the increasing…

This publication provides analysis of current data on the supply and demand for teachers nationally and in Michigan in 1994-95 along with tips for new teachers who are still seeking jobs. The text covers areas of education where demand is highest including special education and science education, notes the persistent demand for minority teachers…