Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of commentary online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.
•••
One thing that came through loud and clear in this month’s elections: the economy and the escalating cost of, well, almost everything are top of mind for American voters. Among the pressures that strain household budgets is the high price of higher education. Too many Minnesotan and American families increasingly believe that sending their kids to college is a pipe dream they simply cannot afford.
Undergraduate enrollment figures reflect that angst. In the U.S., enrollment has decreased by 15% from 2010 to 2021, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. And locally, the Minnesota Office of Higher Education reports that new college enrollment is at a 20-year low — down from about 264,000 in 2003 to 196,200 in 2022 (not including high school students taking college courses and some online programs).
Yet long before the 2024 election cycle, St. Paul’s Concordia University started taking action to help students fulfill higher education ambitions. Its smart efforts have gone against college enrollment trends and made a difference. After significantly lowering tuition in 2013 (from $29,700 to $19,700 for all traditional undergraduates and freezing room-and-board costs), enrollment has grown from 3,000 to 6,000 students.
Now what used to be a small, urban college has become the state’s second-largest private college and the largest Lutheran college (Missouri Synod) in the U.S. And that growth has occurred as college attendance is generally way down. It has the least expensive list price for undergraduates among Minnesota’s 20 or so private colleges and universities.
Why does boosting enrollment matter? As research collected on the Minnesota Private School Council website says, in addition to improving students’ lives, the economy and society benefit overall when more college grads flow into the workforce. B.A. degrees lead to more successful careers and higher lifetime earnings and greater social and economic mobility.
“We already knew at the time that our sticker price was well outpacing what those families would consider viable,” Eric LaMott, the school’s provost and chief operating officer told the Star Tribune. “It’s all about keeping your name on the table of the family looking at the five to six schools.”