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Adams State’s automatic-admission push accompanies three years of enrollment growth
Adams State University in Alamosa says first-time undergraduate enrollment rose nearly 10% this year, while graduate enrollment increased 4.4%. The university has expanded automatic admission and outreach to high school students as it seeks to serve more first-generation, rural and low-income students.
Adams State University is gaining students even as enrollment has fallen at some other Colorado universities, with first-time undergraduate enrollment up nearly 10% this year and graduate enrollment up 4.4%. The Alamosa school also reports that more students are returning to continue their studies.
President David Tandberg said the university has recorded enrollment increases for three consecutive years after a period of decline. He credited a renewed focus on students often underserved by higher education, including low-income students, first-generation college students, rural students and students from minoritized communities.
Adams State has stepped up its presence in school districts and expanded opportunities for high school students to take college courses. It also began automatically admitting every graduating senior in the San Luis Valley three years ago. The program has since expanded to Huerfano County and, this fall, the Adams 14 School District in Commerce City.
Under the program, eligible seniors receive letters telling them they have been accepted. Adams State has an open-admission policy for people with a high school diploma, but Tandberg said the direct outreach can help students who may not have considered college see it as an option.
The effort comes as Colorado faces smaller graduating high school classes and many graduates do not enroll in college immediately. Tandberg said about half of Colorado high school graduates do not go straight to college, a population he sees as central to the university’s mission.
Adams State’s enrollment gains stand in contrast to declines reported at several Colorado universities this year, including drops in international student enrollment at some institutions. The university did not provide a total enrollment figure in the information released about this year’s changes.