Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:They're def not on level w UVA but climbing in popularity and their OOS acceptance is getting much harder. They had record number of apps at 60k.
What are they doing to prepare for the demographic cliff? Are they demolishing and rebuilding the campus, closing old programs, renovating, creating enrollment pipelines, etc.? Schools outside of the t100 on USNWR are going to have a tough time with keeping enrollment up.
The state flagships will all do fine. In fact, admissions to state flagships will become even more competitive in the years to come despite the demographic cliff. At this price point - $350,000+ for private universities; $200,000+ for OOS, times number of children - affordability becomes the main driver of college admissions. Nearly the entire MC and UMC is being funneled into state schools and that's not going to change. Some of the peripheral state campuses may close or be consolidated. But the state flagships will all thrive. The quality of their students is only going to get better year after year.
The best public universities - the UCs, Texas, UVA, UNC - all come from states with thriving, dynamic, professional local economies that depend on a well educated workforce. UVA wouldn't be UVA without Northern Virginia. The UCs wouldn't be the same without Silicon Valley. UNC and the Research Triangle. And so on. That's where UTK is a little limited. High schools tend to suck in Memphis and rural Tennessee. While Nashville is thriving, it's not enough. If UTK really wants to make the leap to the top tier of public schools, they'll have to follow the Michigan model and import 50 percent of their students from out of state. In the meantime, UTK will continue its steady rise just like all the other state flagships as they capture more and more talented MC and UMC students who are priced out of alternatives.