Each September at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, we wait for the enrollment census report, which we use as our official enrollment for the year. We wait for the sixth week of classes because up until that time, students are adding and dropping classes, and typically by late September, things have stabilized.
This year total headcount enrollment at UH Hilo is down 0.7% or 19 students, down from 2,668 to 2,649. The lesson here is that every student makes a difference when we are recruiting. Nineteen, after all, is not that high of a number, but it is the difference between an increase and decrease. When I get the numbers, I always look a bit deeper, however, to see the story behind the story.
Our new freshman class, for example is over 18% bigger than it was last year. That is indeed a bright spot and is a reflection of the hard work of our admissions team and others across our campus who have been reaching out to our community in numerous ways. Our Hawaiʻi resident enrollment is up, which tells me that our local students are realizing what a good place we are for them to continue their education. We have six fewer transfer students than we had last year, but as enrollments grow at Hawaiʻi Community College, I am optimistic that our transfer numbers will also turn a corner soon.
Among our local students, we have seen healthy increases in students from Pāhoa and Kamehameha Schools (both the Oʻahu and Keaʻau campuses). We have a few more students from Konawaena than we did last year, a sign that maybe more of our West Hawaiʻi students are seeing that value of staying on island to continue their education. Hilo High is up, Waiākea High is down a bit, but overall, our future is bright with the numbers of freshmen up more than either UH West Oʻahu or Mānoa.
After we look at numbers, we start to dig into the why. The majors which have seen the largest increases in new students this year are Kinesiology and Exercise Sciences, Exploratory Health Science (for students interested in a health profession), and Education Studies, which is a program we launched just last year. Also showing a healthy increase in new enrollment are Nursing, Agriculture, Political Science, Physics (home of the new pre-engineering program), Hawaiian Studies, Chemistry (the most popular pre-Pharmacy major), and Administration of Justice (home of our new partnership with the Hawaiʻi Police Department and other state law enforcement agencies). A one-year snapshot does not indicate a trend, but the fact that so many of our students are seeking degrees in service professions gives me hope for the future.
Business enrollment remains strong, and it is still our most popular major, despite the fact that they did not record the biggest increase this year. Our business students find employment locally, nationally, and internationally.
As we look ahead, I am optimistic. On October 13, UH launched its Direct2UH initiative, whereby Hawaiʻi public high school students have a spot reserved at UH Hilo if they have a GPA of 2.7 or higher. Across the UH System, we are making it easier to choose UH and encourage our students to stay home for the excellent education the University of Hawaiʻi, and especially the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, can provide.
While we would all like to see higher numbers of students here at UH Hilo, our commitment to place-based, hands-on, community-engaged learning and opportunity for our students will make us successful at serving our island and our state. The signs for growth are good, we have excellent programs, and I look forward to our continued evolution as part of Hawaiʻi Island’s future.
With aloha,
Bonnie D. Irwin