In head count, George Mason edges VCU

George Mason apparently has edged past Virginia Commonwealth as the state's largest university.

GMU's unanticipated growth this fall -- amid state and federal campaigns to increase the number of college graduates -- should be a good thing.

But the university says that enrollment surge can't be sustained without more state support, and its officials are meeting with Northern Virginia's legislative delegation to seek relief.

"George Mason has grown and grown and grown, but we can't do it anymore," said Christine LaPaille, vice president for university relations.

Final enrollment figures aren't due to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia until mid-November and could change as some students drop out.

But a September head count showed 1,500 more graduate and undergraduate students than had been projected at the university in Fairfax County. GMU said its fall enrollment of 32,504 is the highest in the school's history.

VCU's overall fall enrollment is 32,350 students, just short of its target of 32,602.

VCU exceeded its projection for in-state enrollment and for on-campus enrollment but missed the total enrollment target by less than 1 percent, spokesman Tom Gresham said. Enrollment in off-campus programs, which include employer-funded courses, declined because of the poor economy, he said.

VCU notes on its Web site that it's the state's largest university, but the change in status did not seem to faze officials yesterday. Pam Lepley, director of communications and public relations, said the university's primary focus is quality, "and VCU is not, and will not be, in a race to be the largest institution in Virginia."

George Mason attributes its growth to an increase in the number of first-time freshmen, better retention of existing students and more transfers, especially from community colleges.

LaPaille said the university has become the top destination for transfer students in Virginia, which officials attribute to part of a national trend for universities located near major cities that offer more possibilities for internships and jobs.

GMU had a nearly 10 percent increase in enrollment from last year in high-need degree programs such as teaching, health-care professions, engineering and information technology, she said.

The additional enrollment includes 850 full-time students from Virginia. Those students should translate to about $6.5 million more in support from the state, LaPaille said. That's based on $7,500 in general fund support per full-time Virginia student, she said.

University officials are holding preliminary talks with General Assembly members about a remedy for next year's school budget, given the deep cuts already mandated for the current fiscal year.

Some other universities also report that they have more students than they expected, although the increased enrollments are not as steep as Mason's. Accurate projections are important because they're used to determine how much state funding schools receive.

The fall enrollment estimate for Virginia Tech was 30,870, or 351 over projection, according to SCHEV. The College of William and Mary, with 7,914 students, and the University of Virginia, with 24,640, were close to their projections.

All schools had questions about what their enrollments would be this fall because of the economy, GMU Senior Vice President Maurice W. Scherrens said. "We must have been seen as a value choice, because our over-enrollment was not planned," he said.

At a SCHEV meeting yesterday for university financial officers and state budget officials, Scherrens asked that the state acknowledge "schools that have stepped up and taken enrollment when it is not in their best interest but is in the best interest of the commonwealth."

The state's goal is to cover about two-thirds of the instructional cost for Virginia residents at public schools, while out-of-state students pay full cost or more.

With ongoing economic troubles, the state has fallen short of that benchmark, according to SCHEV. The state's funding share averages 62 percent for fiscal 2010. For four-year schools, that's a systemwide average of about $5,800 per student.

Lagging state support translates to higher tuition, which former Gov. Gerald L. Baliles termed "one of the fastest-growing special-use taxes in the nation" at a recent forum sponsored by the Virginia Business Higher Education Council.

And loss of state funds also may tempt schools to accept more out-of-state students -- a politically sensitive issue for lawmakers who this year weighed proposals requiring colleges to increase the percentage of in-state students they admit.

Contact Karin Kapsidelis at (804) 649-6119 or kkapsidelis@timesdispatch.com.