Fall 2003 Enrollment Analysis Mesa College Summary
Headcount and FTES
A total of 20,847 students were enrolled at Mesa College in fall 2003. In comparison with fall 2002 (22,255 as of census), student enrollment decreased by 1,408 students or 6%. Total FTES decreased by 3% (7,125.44 in fall 2003 vs. 7,312.98 in fall 2002).
Demographics
Analysis of the total student population in fall 2003 showed that 70% were continuing students, 8% were first-time freshmen, 13% were first-time transfers, 8% were returning students (left the district for more than one year and returned in fall 2003), and 1% were current high school students. Continuing students constituted a slightly higher percent (70%) of the total student population in fall 2003 than fall 2002 (65%). The proportion of first-time freshmen decreased by almost 2% from fall 2002 to fall 2003. Demographic distributions of other variables were similar to fall 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 decreased 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. Non-residents accounted for 5% of the total student population. Enrollment of non-resident students remained the same for fall 2003 and fall 2002.
Enrollment by Subject Area
Student enrollment change by subject area was also examined. Only subject areas with 100 or more students in fall 2003 were included in this analysis. The top five subject areas with the largest enrollment increases from fall 2002 to fall 2003 were: (1) Interior Design, 20%; (2) Dental Assisting, 19%; (3) Black Studies, 17%; (4) Health Education, 14%; and (5) Marketing, 13%. The top five subject areas with the largest enrollment decreases were: (1) Animal Health Technology, -34%; (2) Spanish, -22%; (3) English for Speakers of Other Languages, -21%; (4) Medical Assisting, -18%; and (5) Italian, -17%.
Persistence of First-Time Freshmen
Of the first-time freshmen who were enrolled at the college in fall 2002 as of census (N=2,129), 52% persisted to fall 2003. This rate was the same for fall 2002 (52% persisted from fall 2001 to fall 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, 58%; transfer without an AA, 54%) than other groups. In addition, a higher proportion of Asians (65%) persisted from fall 2002 to fall 2003 than other ethnic groups.
In summary, analysis of census enrollment at Mesa College indicated an 6% enrollment decrease and a 3% FTES decrease in fall 2003 as compared to fall 2002. The fall-to-fall persistence rates of first-time freshmen were also compared with data from the previous year. Results showed no change in the persistence rates compared to those of fall 2002. Asian freshmen had higher persistence rates than other ethnic groups.