Ball State officials see positive benefit of pushing back enrollment deadline in budget planning
Ball State University officials say moving back the school’s date for students to confirm their intention to attend for next fall was helpful for both students needing financial aid and the school’s budget process. IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann.
Universities have to make an informed assumption on how many students will attend to properly create a budget. This year, that became more difficult for colleges across the country, after delays and problems with the national form that students fill out for financial aid, known as the FAFSA.
Ball State, like many schools, pushed back by a month the date students confirmed their enrollment, so those students would have financial aid packages in hand first. University president Geoffrey Mearns says the school continued to see increases in confirmations during that month.
“So our budget assumption is for 3,650 freshmen. We actually have, now, deposits for – I think it’s 3,720. Now we might see some melt over the summer, but we’re pretty confident that we’re going to hit our budget assumption.”
Mearns says more than 75 percent of Ball State students use some form of financial aid to attend.
Outside of new freshman, the university assumed a 78 percent retention rate – those students returning another year to study at the Muncie school. Officials say it was sitting at 77 percent last week.
Chief Budget Officer Scott Stachler presented what he called a “balanced budget” to school trustees for approval. It’s an increase of more than $15 million from last year’s budget. Stachler says most of that is an increase in salary and benefits for employees.
The total general fund budget of $388,436,000 includes about 39 percent in state-funded support, passed two years ago in the last state budget. Lawmakers craft a new two-year state budget next year.
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The board also approved a two percent increase in student meal plan rates. Stachler says meal plan rates are lower than most Indiana colleges, except for Purdue University, Indiana State University, and Southern Indiana University.
Ball State sets its tuition every two years and approved tuition for this upcoming year in 2023.
Stephanie Wiechmann is our Managing Editor and “All Things Considered” Host. Contact her at slwiechmann@bsu.edu.
