Changing Students,

Changing University

A Presentation to the University of

Minnesota Board of Regents
September, 2004
 This Report
• Analyzes U of M students
– How they have changed from the recent past
– How they compare to students at other schools
– How they are likely to change in the near future

• Focuses primarily on the Twin Cities Campus,

especially new freshmen
 Three Themes
1. The academic preparation of our students has
increased dramatically.

2. Our students are changing demographically

and attitudinally.

3. We continue to be committed to both quality

and access.
 1. Academic Preparation
• During the past decade the academic
preparation of entering students has steadily
increased.

• We are in the mainstream of our Big 10 peers.

• We have distanced ourselves from the

MNSCU campuses.
Cumulative % Change in UMTC MN Applicants and
Minnesota High School Graduates, 1994-2004
70%
Applicants
60%

50%

40%

30%

20%
H.S. Grads

10%

0%
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Sources: HESO and UM data warehouse
 Cumulative % Change in
UMTC MN Applicants vs. Pool, 1994-2004
70%
Applicants
60%

50%

40%
ACT Takers

30%

20%
H.S. Grads
10%

0%
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Sources: HESO and UM data warehouse

 Average High School Rank of UMTC New
Freshmen, 1990-2003
80

79

78

77

76

75

74

73
72

71

70
1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
Source: UM NSCR Files
Percentage of Big 10 New Freshmen in Top 10%
of Their High School Classes
Michigan

Northwestern

Illinois

Wisconsin

Penn St

Minnesota

Ohio St

Purdue

Michigan St

Iowa

Indiana

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

Source: U.S. News 2004 College Guide
 Percentage of Big 10 New Freshmen
Scoring 24+ on ACT Composite

Northwestern
Wisconsin

Michigan

Illinois

Ohio St

Purdue

Minnesota

Iowa

Michigan St

Indiana

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Source: Peterson’s Guide www.petersons.com Penn State data not available

Percentage of UM & MNSCU New Freshmen in
Top 10% of Their High School Classes
Minnesota

UM Morris

UM Duluth

Winona St

Southwest St

MSU Moorhead

Bemidji St

MSU Mankato

St. Cloud St

UM Crookston

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35%

Source: Peterson’s Guide www.petersons.com

Percentage of UM and MNSCU New Freshmen
Scoring 24+ on ACT Composite

Minnesota

UM Morris

UM Duluth

MSU Moorhead

Southwest St

Bemidji St

MSU Mankato

UM Crookston

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Source: Peterson’s Guide www.petersons.com Winona State data not available

 Our Competition: Destinations of
F2003 UMTC Non-Enrolling Admits

Non-MN Private
UW Madison
MN Private
Non-MN Public
Other UW Campus
Other UM Campus
MNSCU
0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25%

Source: UMTC Fall 2003 Admitted Applicant Survey

2. Student Demographics & Attitudes
• New UMTC freshmen are:
– increasingly female
– diverse geographically
– diverse racially (compared to MN high schools)
– career-oriented
– community-oriented
– technologically savvy
– respectful of authority
– accepting of cultural diversity
 UMTC Freshman Gender
100% • For Fall 2004, we expect
90% women to comprise 56% of
80% the entering class, up from
70% 49% ten years ago.
60%
50%
• The increase in female
40% enrollments is a national
30% trend, and is expected to
20% continue.
10%
0%
• The U of M proportions are
1994 2004 close to national averages.
Women Men

Sources: U of M data warehouse and National Center for Educational Statistics

 Percentage of Out-of-State Freshman
Big 10 Schools
Northwestern
Iowa
Penn St
Wisconsin
Michigan
Minnesota
Indiana
Purdue
Ohio State
Illinois

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

Source: US News 2004 College Guide. Michigan State not reporting
 UMTC Freshmen vs. MN HS Grads:
% Students of Color
25%
MN HS Graduates UMTC New Freshmen
20%

15%

10%

5%

0%
1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Sources: HESO graduation files; UMTC data warehouse; 2004 figures are estimates
 UMTC Freshman Students of Color:
2004 (est.) versus 2003

2003 2004*

% of All Freshmen 20.8% 17.9%

Average HS Rank Percentile 73.0 74.3

Average ACT Composite 21.5 21.8

* 2004 data are preliminary Source: UM Data warehouse; 2004

 Student Ages
• UMTC degree-seeking undergraduates are
predominantly of the traditional age.
– 11.5% of Fall 2003 students were aged 25 or over
(down from 16% in 1996)
– Only 7 out of the 5,186 new freshmen were 25 or
older
– The average age of full-time degree-seeking
undergraduates was 20.7 (down from 21.6 in 1996)
Attitudes: Career and Community
From 2003 CIRP Survey
“Essential” or “very important” Goals
Being very well off financially 73.1%
Becoming an authority in my field 59.6%
Obtaining recognition from colleagues 53.1%
Helping others who are in difficulty 59.5%
Becoming a community leader 32.5%
 Other 2003 CIRP Survey Findings
• U of M Students are technologically savvy
– 85% used the Internet for homework or research in high
school

• Students are respectful of authority

– Only 8% said that there was a “very good” chance that they
would participate in a student protest

• Students are accepting of cultural diversity

– 66% said it was “very likely” that they would socialize
with someone of another racial/ethnic group
 Community On Campus:
% of TC Freshmen in Residence Halls
80%
78%
76%
74%
72%
70%
68%
66%
64%
62%
1999 2000 2001 2003 2004
Source: UMTC registration and housing data files; 2004 data preliminary
 UMTC Freshmen:
Comfortable with Digital Technology
Used a personal
computer

Used Internet for

research or homework

Communicated via e-
mail

Communicated via
instant messaging

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

1999 2003
Source: F1999 & F2003 UMTC CIRP Surveys
 3. Access and Quality
• Over the past decade, the University increased
enrollment beyond increases in the numbers of
high school graduates
• The next decade presents challenges:
– Declining numbers of high school graduates
– Sharp decline in Greater MN numbers
– Sharp increase in proportion of students of color
– Threats to affordability
 Cumulative % Change in UMTC MN Applicants
And Enrollees vs. Pool, 1994-2004

70%
Applicants
60%

50%

40%

30%
ACT Takers
Enrollees
20% H.S. Grads

10%

0%
1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
Sources: HESO and UM data warehouse
 MN H.S. Graduates 1988-2018
65,000
63,000
61,000
59,000
57,000
"Baby Boomlet"
55,000 +Inmigration
53,000 Graduates will decline in 2005,
51,000 rise briefly and then fall to
below 1998 levels in 2013 before
49,000 starting up again.
"Baby Bust"
47,000
45,000
88
90
92
94
96
98

02
04
06
08
10
12
14

18
00

16
19
19

20
20
19
19
19
19

20
20
20
20
20
20

20
20
Sources: 1988-2002 data are actual from MN HESO. 2003 combines actual public and WICHE-estimated private. 2004-2013 are WICHE estimates
 Percentage Change in MN H.S. Grads by Region,
2003-2013
Reg 11: Twin Cities

Reg 10: Rochester

Reg 9: Mankato

Reg 8: Marshall

Reg 7: St. Cloud

Reg 6: Willmar

Reg 5: Brainerd

Reg 4: Moorhead

Reg 3: Duluth

Reg 2: Bemidji

Reg 1: E. Grand Forks

-30% -25% -20% -15% -10% -5% 0% 5% 10%

Source: In the Pipeline: MN High School Graduates, 2003-2013, MN HESO. 6/03

 Percentage of Total MN H.S. Grads by Ethnicity
90%
80%
70% 2003 2013

60%
50%
40% In 2003, 1 in 8 MN H.S.
graduates was a student of
30% color. In 2013, 1 in 5 will be.

20%
10%
0%
Am Ind Asian/Pac African Am Chic/Lat SOC White
Source: Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates, WICHE, 12/03
 Freshman Concern about Finances:
UM SOC, UM Other, and Other Schools

60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Selective UM All UM SOC UM Other
Publics

None Some Major

Source: Fall 2003 CIRP Freshman Survey
 Paying for College:
UM vs. Other Schools
From 2003 CIRP Survey
UMTC Selective
Publics
Rating chances as “very likely” that 62.9% 44.4%
he/she will get a job to help pay for
college expenses
Expect parents or family to pay $6,000 39.2% 50.8%
per year for college expenses
Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients, 2000-2004

22%

21%

20%

19%

18%

17%

16%

15%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
 Access and Quality:
Conclusions
• In the past decade, the UM undergraduate
student body became larger, better prepared,
and more diverse.
• In the next decade we will be challenged by:
– Decreasing numbers of high school graduates
– Increasing proportions of students of color
– Continually increasing costs
• Our commitments to both access and quality
will be strongly tested