Spring 2003c Enrollment Analysis Mesa College Summary
Headcount and FTES
A total of 23,376 students were enrolled at Mesa College in spring 2003. In comparison with spring 2002 (as of census), student enrollment increased by 1,744 students or 8.1%. Total FTES also increased by 9.5% (6,443.40 in spring 2003 vs. 5,887.05 in spring 2002).
Demographics
Analysis of the total student population in spring 2003 showed that 70.3% were continuing students, 3.7% were first-time freshmen, 12.7% were first-time transfers, 8.9% were returning students (left the district for more than one year and returned in spring 2003), and 4.2% were current high school students. Continuing students constituted a slightly higher percent (70.3%) of the total student population in spring 2003 than spring 2002 (68.6%). The enrollment of first-time freshmen decreased by 12.4% over spring 2002. Demographic distributions of other variables were similar to spring 2002, except for a slight decrease in the percentage of whites.
New Student Enrollment by Service Area
New student enrollment by service area was analyzed and results showed that enrollment of first-time freshmen decreased from the college’s service area as well as the City College service area and non-district service areas. Additionally, enrollment of first-time transfers increased from areas serving City and Mesa as well as non-district service areas.
Residency
In terms of residency status, 95% all students were California residents. Out-of-state non-residents accounted for 3.6% and international students 1.4% of the total student population. Enrollment of international students remained the same for spring 2003 and spring 2002. Over 79% of the international students were continuing students.
Enrollment by Subject Area
Student enrollment change by subject area was also examined. Only subject areas with 100 or more students in spring 2003 were included in this analysis. The top five subject areas with the largest enrollment increases from spring 2002 to spring 2003 were: (1) Microsoft, 107.1%; (2) Administration of Justice, 47.1%; (3) Medical Assisting, 36.1%; (4) Black Studies, 35.9%; and (5) Food Service Occupations, 34.4%. The top five subject areas with the largest enrollment decreases were: (1) DSPS, -37.7%; (2) Education, -25.1%; (3) Consumer Studies, -16.9%; (4) Dental Assisting, -10.9%; and (5) Geographical Information System, -9.8%.
Persistence of First-Time Freshmen
Of the first-time freshmen who were enrolled at the college in spring 2002 as of census (N=984), 36.7% persisted to spring 2003. This rate is slightly higher than the rate for spring 2002 (35.7% persisted from spring 2001 to spring 2002). The one-year persistence rate of first-time freshman was also broken down by educational objective, gender, and ethnicity. Results showed that students who intended to transfer persisted at a higher rate (transfer with an AA, 37.3%; transfer without an AA, 51.4%) than other groups. In addition, a higher proportion of Asians (43%), Pacific Islanders (55.6%), and Latinos (39.1%) persisted from spring 2002 to spring 2003 than other ethnic groups.
In terms of fall-to-spring (one-semester) persistence rate, of the first-time freshmen who were enrolled at Mesa College in fall 2002 as of census (N=2,129), 69% persisted to this spring, indicating a higher persistence rate than the comparable rate of last year (64.7% persisted from fall 2001 to spring 2002). Students who intended to transfer persisted at a higher rate than other groups. Additionally, Filipino and Asian freshmen had higher one-semester persistence rates than other ethnic groups. No notable differences were found between females and males.
In summary, analysis of census enrollment at Mesa College indicated an 8.1% enrollment increase and a 9.5% FTES increase in spring 2003 as compared to spring 2002; however, the enrollment of first-time freshman decreased by nearly 1%. The spring-to-spring and fall-to-spring persistence rates of first-time freshmen were also compared with data from the previous year. Results showed slightly higher persistence rates than those of spring 2002. Asian, Pacific Islander, and Latino freshmen had higher persistence rates than other ethnic groups.