Louisiana’s colleges and universities appear to be experiencing a positive outcome from the coronavirus pandemic that has otherwise stifled the state’s economy. Students choosing to stay closer to home are fueling increased enrollments.

Jim Henderson, president of the University of Louisiana System, told The Advocate, “I have weekly calls with (college) presidents and all of them have reported increased applications and admittances.” McNeese State University is one of nine four-year institutions in the UL System that the newspaper said educates 90,167 of the state’s 214,205 college students.

LSU reported 14 percent more applications for the fall and 18 percent more students than usual want to transfer from other colleges. About 6,700 of those accepted already have sent in their deposits for the fall semester, which is 10 percent higher than last year.

Colleges closed dormitories and suspended in-person classes in mid-March, and the newspaper said many parents and working students have been laid off. That endangered their ability to pay, and some students whose grades and test scores were good enough to attend institutions in other states have returned home.

Edwin Litolff, UL System vice president of business and finance, said students are looking a lot closer than they once did at the ancillary costs, such as dorm rooms and meal plans. He added that university leaders are structuring those costs to provide maximum enrollment.

Enrollment numbers at Louisiana institutions are more important now than they were over a decade ago. Taxpayers were paying about 75 percent of operating costs back then, but state budget cuts have forced students and their parents to pay that much now in tuition and fees.

Henderson said he is concerned about international students returning in the fall. They pay full tuition because they don’t qualify for TOPS scholarships, and that helps pay increasing costs faced by colleges and universities.

Just over 6,000 students from other countries, about 3 percent, attend Louisiana colleges, according to the state Board of Regents. The American Council on Education had projected fall enrollment would drop by 15 percent overall, which would include a 25 percent decline in international students.

Since Louisiana institutions apparently aren’t going to experience that enrollment drop, the loss of state sales tax and other revenue because of the coronavirus pandemic may not have a major impact on higher education funding. However, the true cost of that pandemic won’t be known until the state’s Revenue Estimating Conference determines how much revenue will be available for the state budget year beginning July 1.

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This editorial was written by a member of the American Press Editorial Board. Its content reflects the collaborative opinion of the Board, whose members include Crystal Stevenson, John Guidroz, Jim Beam and Mike Jones.Higher Education graphic