The University Council Meeting that took place on Tuesday last week provided promising news of increases in both international enrolment numbers and first year domestic student numbers, resulting in the University of Otago meeting their enrolment target for 2016.
The announcement marked the first time in the last five years in which total enrolment numbers at the university have increased, and despite the increase being just four equivalent full-time students (EFTS) it marks progress of sorts in the university’s attempt to appeal to high school leavers.
The divisions of sciences, commerce, humanities and health science all saw promising growth in first year enrolments in 2016, with health sciences alone growing 11.1 percent on last year’s figures. The humanities department, facing a self-declared “crisis” according to Pro-vice chancellor of the Humanities Department, Tony Ballantyne, had first year student numbers increase by 6.9 percent on this time last year, although overall EFTS declined 3.7 percent since last year. The university’s press release outlined that the reason for this decline was largely because of the “pipeline impact of last year’s smaller first year cohort.”
Additionally, international full-fee enrolments are up 5.8 percent, which has been attributed in particular to a 16.6 percent growth in enrolment numbers from students from the United States, and total international first year numbers increasing by 13.7 percent.
Vice-Chancellor Harlene Hayne noted, “this is a very positive start to the year for us” and pointed out that “our Residential Colleges are full to the brim, and there is a very busy, positive feel on campus just now.”
The university has made a concerted effort over “several years” to re-focus its overseas recruitment, and has built on the growth of international enrolments made in 2015, according to Hayne.
Additionally, Maori student enrolments are up by 5.3 percent and Pacific enrolments are up a remarkable 10.4 percent. Hayne mentioned that the “buoyant first year situation is underpinning healthy increases in the number of Maori and Pasifika students at Otago” and that the “number of Maori and Pasifika studying here are key elements of Otago’s strategy for the future.”