Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
The total number of students attending Wright State University this fall is projected to hit its lowest point in more than 37 years and could precipitate around a $9 million decline in revenue for the school.
Around 14,411 students are expected to attend WSU starting in late August, a decline of around 1,147 students or 7.4 percent from the fall of 2018, a Dayton Daily News examination of the preliminary budget for fiscal year 2020 shows. The last time Wright State’s total enrollment dipped below 15,000 was in 1982 when 14,826 were enrolled, university records show.
But, there may be time for improvement because registration started later this year and there are still more than eight weeks until the first day of classes on Aug. 26, said Walt Branson, chief business officer and vice president of finance. Enrollment isn’t calculated and reported to the Ohio Department of Higher Education until two weeks after the start of fall semester.
“That would tell you we would think we’re going to improve,” Branson said. “It’s really a process we have to go through to drill down with several people. We’re really trying to track all that down at this point and get a more precise estimate.”
If enrollment projections stay the same, the $9 million decrease would pose yet another financial challenge for Wright State to overcome as tuition and fee revenue is the school’s largest single source of revenue.
At this point, Wright State is expecting to absorb around a $2.2 million decrease in state funding as well, though that number could change because Ohio’s budget has yet to be signed into law. Gov. Mike DeWine will need to sign a budget sent to his desk from the legislature no later than June 30.
