ELCA College Enrollment Rise is Steady

     CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Full-time student enrollment at the 28 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America colleges and universities rose from 44,036 to 44,310 between 1995 and 1996, a gain of 274 students, "making enrollment the highest it has ever been," reported James Unglaube, ELCA director for colleges and universities.  The board for the Division for Higher Education and Schools (DHES) learned more about ELCA college and university trends when it meet here Mar. 13-16.
     During the period from 1979-80 to 1996-97, the number of 18- year-olds in the U.S. population dropped 25.1 percent, reported Unglaube.  "As this period of decline began one could have expected a similar dramatic drop in ELCA college enrollment," he said.
     "In the fall of 1979 the ELCA institutions enrolled 42,935 full-time students.  In the fall of 1996, the number stood at 44,310, a modest gain (0.6 percent) from 1995, and an all-time high figure. This enrollment figure has been very stable over the years," he said.
     "The 1996 enrollment represents 103.2 percent of that in 1979.  The 18-year-old population in 1996, on the other hand, was 81.3 percent of that in 1979," said Unglaube.  "ELCA institutions have fared remarkably well as a group during this period," he said.
     "Our society is a learning society that does not stop at 20- year-olds.  Society is emphasizing learning as a life-long task and not something one does in their 20s," said the Rev. H. Frederick Reisz Jr., board member, Columbia, S.C.  "Our colleges and universities are finding new ways to speak to other generations," said Reisz.
     "Our enrollment is up because it has been clear that the quality and affordability of our colleges attracts students," said the Rev. W. Robert Sorensen, executive director for DHES. "Our students receive a good education at our higher education institutions," said Sorensen.
     The economy greatly affects ELCA colleges and universities, said Unglaube.  "One of the ways by which our colleges and universities take that into account is in their pricing patterns. Tuition, fees, room and board rise almost annually in an attempt to keep pace with the economy," he said.
     In 1996-97 the average cost for a year at one of our colleges and university was $17,900, said Unglaube.  "College costs rise every year just like everything else around them rises.  The colleges and universities have to turn on lights, provide books for the library, put test tubes in the laboratory and pay their employees."
     "Financial aid for students is a critical factor in making it possible for students to attend institutions in the private sector of American higher education.  ELCA colleges and universities in 1995-96 made available a total of $463.3 million in student financial aid," he said.
     Financial aid took the form of grants, loans, and work-study programs, from government, college and private sources.  About 80 percent of the students attending these institutions received aid and the average annual award totaled $13,130.  This average award represented 76.7 percent of the average annual total cost of $17,107 for a student at the ELCA college or university.
     Voluntary support of the colleges and universities, from a number of sources, represents an important element of the operation of the institutions, said Unglaube.  Annual support has grown steadily from $41.4 million in fiscal year 1979 to $129.9 million in fiscal year 1996.
     "Our colleges and universities desire a closer relationship with the church.  The gifts of our colleges and universities can be used in the church, and the realities of the Lutheran church make a lively presence in the college campus," said Reisz.
     "This church is in partnership with 28 colleges and universities, vital places of teaching and learning, places where people committed to this partnership are involved in nurturing students toward lives as responsible global citizens, places where students are helped in understanding vocation as a calling," said Unglaube.

For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html