Last spring, some universities in Oregon canceled in-person classes and transitioned curriculums online in response to COVID-19. Some students feel disconnected from the value of an education because of its high costs and virtual delivery. Oregon public universities like  Portland State University, Eastern Oregon University and Western Oregon University have seen a decrease in enrollment numbers for the 2020-21 academic year. 

The fact that “The declines are even more striking in the context of a decade” was noted in a Higher Education Coordinating Commission Public Institution Enrollment Data meeting.
Ben Cannon, the executive director of the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, said HECC focuses on increasing financial support through state grants to bring down costs of attendance for Oregonians. “That’s critical for restoring access to and helping re-connect students with their education,” he said. “College students are facing greater barriers.” 

HECC oversees the distribution of state funding for higher education, which includes legislative appropriations for community colleges, public universities and student financial aid along with other programs. In terms of finances, universities rely on enrollment because of its impact on tuition revenues, he said. Therefore, as enrollment drops, institutions face financial impacts on budgets due to fewer students paying tuition.

Although financial aid and scholarships are an option, tuition costs have continued to increase over the years. Some students chose not to enroll at UO because they do not believe costs are equal to the quality of remote education. 
“The loss of first-year students will affect us for four years,” Jamie Moffitt, UO’s chief financial officer, said in a Tuition and Fees Advisory Board meeting held on Nov. 20. She explained how COVID-19 has led to a 12% drop in first-year students, which is shown in the “New Entering Freshman Class Size” chart released in a Board of Trustees Advancement Update meeting brief.
Eric Logan, a first-year student at Central Oregon Community College, planned to enroll at UO this fall until classes moved online. He said he disagrees with UO’s tuition rates and does not believe in paying the university’s price for online education. 
Logan wasn’t alone in his decision. UO saw a drop in 600 first-years over last year according to the Board of Trustees meeting brief.

Previously, Logan signed up for the Advanced Diploma program through the Oregon Promise offered at his high school, which allowed him to attend a local community college for free. He plans to attend COCC until classes return to in-person instruction.

HECC implemented the Oregon Promise Grant after the Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 81, in 2015. Senate Bill 81 funded $10 million towards the Oregon Promise program, a free community college program offered to all qualified Oregon students, according to an Oregon State Legislature news release.   

“With online classes, we’re pretty much teaching ourselves,” Logan said. “I don’t want to pay $45,000 a year to teach myself.”

At this time, in-person instruction is not a viable option due COVID-19 guidelines. Students like Logan see remote learning as a disadvantage because of the lack of student to instructor engagement as most classes have either moved to Zoom or completely web-based with no live classroom experience.

The university implemented the Guaranteed Tuition model to set fixed tuition rates, but it didn’t sway Logan’s decision to decline the expenses of remote learning at a public university. 

As enrollment figures fall, UO faces budgeting issues that arose from a decrease in tuition revenue. “But you do have that one lever where you can start to increase rates on new students,” Moffitt said in a previous TFAB meeting. 

Although the university can increase tuition rates for new students, it’s difficult to predict the success of that approach with the uncertainty of COVID-19. 

This fall, Reese Watts, a second-year student from UO, transferred to Lane Community College. Similar to Logan, Watts enrolled at a community college instead of continuing his enrollment at UO due to the price of remote learning. 

“Being an out-of-state student, this made it nearly impossible for me to return for my second year,” he said.

Although Logan and Watts enrolled in community colleges, a HECC press release shows data revealing the sharp decline amongst Oregon community colleges this year at a 23% downfall. 

On the other hand, the press release shows a 3.8% decline across all Oregon institutions, which is substantially lower than what community colleges are experiencing at this time. 

“We’re working with a fixed pot of money, so if a university enrollment may be declining and if other universities are also declining, then the dollars don’t really shift,” Cannon said. 

This academic year, UO received about $79 million in state funding, which accounts for a third of what Oregon State University received, about $240 million, according to the comparative university funding data. 

If UO faces a large decrease in state funding, it would be a “crisis,” Moffitt said in a previous board meeting. 

Cannon said the state is also facing pressures as a result of the pandemic. “Given that the state is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to fight the pandemic, including in public health, we should not count on state funding to help universities fully weather the enrollment decline,” he said.

Moving forward, Cannon said the HECC is currently working on new ways to provide tools for adult learners through grant funding to connect students with their local college. Despite the barriers college students face in online education, financial resources are made available to encourage students to continue their journey in earning a degree, while rediscovering the value in it through affordability, he said. 

“I’m hopeful that Congress will step up again as it did in April to provide critical short-term support for colleges and universities,” Cannon said.