USF redirected freshman Tampa applicants to St. Petersburg to achieve 650 FTIC benchmark.
Courtesy of Annalise Anderson | The Crow’s Nest
By Michael Alden
Although USF St. Petersburg saw record-breaking freshman enrollment numbers for the 2021-22 academic year, it may be too soon to claim the win.
Enrollment data shows a significant number of USF applicants were redirected to St. Petersburg regardless of campus preference.
Faced with plummeting first-time-in-college (FTIC) student numbers since 2016, Rep. Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, and Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, announced last October that the university administration and its trustees are committed “to growing enrollment …with a strong goal of 650 students for next year’s class.” Sprowls and Brandes had previously led the move in 2018 to consolidate all three USF campuses.
The university began redirecting FTIC students to St. Petersburg last summer. In February, USF’s dean of admissions Glen Besterfield said some students who applied for the spring 2021 semester after the priority deadline (Jan. 6) would be redirected.
Students who were redirected can change their home campus after one semester.
Last year, combined summer and fall freshman enrollment plunged from 549 to 386.
This year, combined summer and fall freshman enrollment has increased to 763, according to preliminary numbers from the USF InfoCenter.
Based on data from the Office of Admissions, a total of 402 FTIC students out of the 763 enrolled were redirected from Tampa over the summer and fall semesters. It appears the university has exceeded its 650 goal through redirects.
Despite the large number of redirected students, St. Petersburg Regional Chancellor Martin Tadlock sees reason to celebrate this year’s enrollment overall.
“We are very pleased with our campus enrollment for the summer and fall. It is the largest incoming class since 2012. Also, the diversity of this class is a huge improvement over the past two years and a much better reflection of what we want to see here,” Tadlock said.
Last fall, only one Black FTIC student enrolled at St. Petersburg. This fall, 19 Black FTIC students enrolled.
“As we constantly remind everyone, students bring vitality to the campus and the downtown. Our city wants them here and highly values their presence,” Tadlock said. “Also, students energize us. After all, working with students and the love of learning are two primary reasons faculty and staff choose to be here and do this work.”
Without the redirected students, the amount of FTIC students this summer and fall would be nearly the same as 2020 (386) – a number that alarmed legislators and the St. Petersburg community.
According to drop/add week data from the USF InfoCenter, 432 FTIC students enrolled in St. Petersburg for the fall semester. Two hundred and thirteen of these students originally applied to the Tampa campus and were redirected to St. Petersburg.
A total of 1,062 FTIC student applications were redirected to St. Petersburg, with 849 deciding not to enroll.
A record number of FTIC students enrolled over the summer as well. There were 331 FTIC students this summer compared to 261 in the summer of 2020. Of these 331 students, 189 were redirected from Tampa.
Earlier this year, university administrators said they were “cautiously optimistic” that St. Petersburg will reach that goal.
Laura Zuppo, St. Petersburg’s interim assistant vice chancellor of enrollment, planning and management, told The Crow’s Nest in January, “Given the fact that we’re in a COVID-19 environment, given the economic uncertainties… if we can hit the 650 or even 600, I think that would be outstanding.”
Final enrollment numbers aren’t available in the InfoCenter until approximately six weeks after the end of the semester.
