Ithaca College Pays Students to Put Off School for a Year

The economy has made college admission totals difficult to predict. Many community colleges are seeing significant increases in the number of students applying to their schools, perhaps as a result of more adult students seeking to pick up new skills to make themselves more desirable in a tough job market. Some private colleges have faced declining enrollments as students look for more affordable options when considering which school they'll attend in the fall, while others that have maintained generous financial aid packages have experienced an increase in applicants.

Ithaca College can't complain about declining enrollment. The Chronicle of Higher Education reported this week that the New York school has offered 31 students $10,000 each to defer their enrollment for one year. Ithaca's target for new freshman was between 1,700 to 1,750. They ended up with an incoming fall class of 2,027, or 20 percent more than expected. Sure, having a larger class is better than seeing significant decreases in enrollment, but enrolling more freshmen than the school can handle won't only affect the college's bottom line as they adjust this year, but the four years that large class will be moving through the ranks. The school will also be forced to enroll fewer students over the next few years, making it harder to recoup any losses in spending this fall.

According to the Chronicle, the college had to make several other adjustments to prevent a repeat situation and compensate for the extra funding they'll need to get through the next four years with a larger class:

• Raising admissions selectivity for the fall of 2010 to bring in fewer applicants from the beginning.
• Building a temporary, $2.5 million residence hall.
• Reinstating early decision.
• Providing reduced rates on room charges and paying cable bills for students housed in lounges.
• Providing $2,000 in incentives for upperclassmen to urge them to move off campus.
• Hiring additional instructors.
• Allowing for additional financial aid funding.

The Chronicle suggests missing the admissions mark by this much is rare. Ithaca had been seeing declining admissions numbers up until this point, so they worked harder this year to boost enrollment. Ithaca also accepted 73 percent of its 2009 applicants, compared with 59 percent in 2008. Administrators at the school maintain a positive outlook, and say that while they did need to spend some to get the situation under control ($250,000 for those deferred enrollments alone), they plan to come out with a modest surplus.