Last month, 2,500 new students came to the University of Alaska Fairbanks to begin their journey of university education.
Many of these students are living on-campus, creating buzz from morning ‘til night. With upgrades underway to UAF’s Moore and Bartlett residence halls, we initially had more housing demand than we had available rooms. I am happy to say that the quick action of our facilities crews allowed us to ensure that by the beginning of the semester, every student with a housing need was accommodated. Every available room is now full. It is a busy time on campus and a great time to be a Nanook!
This fall, the UAF Troth Yeddha’ Campus enrollment was up 3.4% compared to last year (and a whopping 36.7% in first-year students). While UAF’s enrollment is growing, the same cannot be said at colleges and universities across the country. Over the past decade, university education has seen declining enrollment nationally.
This is due to a number of complex reasons, including but not limited to a decrease in the number of college-age students, a changing job market, decreases in public funding for university education, and growing student debt.
Some of the same factors affecting university enrollment across the country ring true in Alaska. For example, the population of Alaska residents aged 20 to 65 decreased by 5% between 2013 and 2021. In spite of the fact that there are just fewer Alaskans of college age in Alaska, UAF enrollment is growing.
So why is UAF bucking the national trend? The answer is simple — UAF’s value proposition is overwhelmingly positive.
UAF provides a world class education at an affordable rate. Many students today are selecting a university where they will receive a truly transformative experience.
On the financial side, our enrollment growth equates to approximately $1.2 million (or a 7.2% increase) in new tuition revenue. UAF directs the majority of that revenue toward the academic programs the student registered in. At the same time, some funds are used to increase financial aid so that we can lower the average cost for students and consequently lower average student debt, which is already lower than the national average. So even while UAF tuition went up over the last few years, the new funding going back to student financial aid makes it so that students who most need financial assistance can get it. More than ever, a UAF education is affordable and accessible.
In this period of budget stability and strong enrollment numbers, we are moving deliberately on our strategic goal of achieving R1 research status. The Carnegie Classification of Higher Education categorizes doctoral-degree-granting universities into three categories. Currently, UAF is classified as an R2 university, which puts us in the top 7% of all universities in the country. We are on the cusp of becoming an R1 university, which would move us into the top 4% of all universities in the country. Securing R1 status for UAF has the potential to be a major spark in Alaska’s economy. In 2019, the University of Colorado Boulder estimated that its R1 research activities alone produced $1.2 billion in economic activity for the state. We are very close to achieving this goal.
I am so appreciative of Alaskans around the state who support our university. Some show that support by enrolling in a degree program, while others show up to our athletic events or support our researchers in the field. No matter where you go in Alaska, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t have a connection to UAF. We are growing, in part, because people all across this state are engaged in our collective success.
Dan White has served as the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ chancellor since July 2017.
