FAMU finishes FYE 2012 with 14,383 students

FAMU slid from its progress toward the 15,000 student mark during the fiscal year that ended in 2012. The unduplicated 12 month headcount for July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012 was 14,383. That was 319 fewer students than the last fiscal year, when FAMU had a total enrollment of 14,702.

The university’s enrollment fell by 70 between Fall 2010 (13,277) and Fall 2011 (13,207) due in part to tighter admissions standards and new preparatory requirements for students admitted through the profile assessment process. Former President James H. Ammons told the Board of Trustees that FAMU rejected almost 2,000 applications for the class that began in Fall 2011.

FAMU experienced another enrollment decline in Fall 2012. The Office of Institutional Research has not posted the final numbers on its website.

The university must boost and stabilize its enrollment in order to prevent bigger budget shortfalls.

Florida Auditor General David W. Martin has made favorable comments about FAMU’s enrollment growth for a number of years. In the university’s 2012 financial statement audit, he said that FAMU’s enrollment growth has helped it fill the gap from state budget cuts.

“As the Legislature continues to reduce higher education funding in order to balance budget limitations, enrollment growth will play a key role in the financial stability of the University,” Martin wrote. “For the Fall 2010 semester, enrollment grew to an unprecedented 13,277 students. The preliminary headcount for Fall 2011 is 13,207. Projections demonstrated enrollment will remain relatively stable through the fiscal year 2016-17.”

FAMU still has an opportunity to increase its overall enrollment by taking in more students in the spring and summer semesters of 2013.

Source: FAMU Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) reports.