Otago student numbers stay steady as deficit reduced
Thursday, 14 March 2024
The University of Otago has reported 19,656 fully-enrolled students for 2024.
That compares with a headcount of 20,022 the year before.
Commerce enrolments increased, Health Sciences were similar, while Humanities and Sciences were down.
Incoming Vice Chancellor Grant Robertson is likely to have similar numbers of students enrolled at the University of Otago when he takes the reigns later this year.
The tertiary institution’s deficit was expected to be between $3-$5 million, compared to the $20m shortfall the previous year.
Otago has reported 19,656 fully-enrolled students, generating 17,590 Equivalent Full-time Student (EFTS), compared with a headcount of 20,022, generating 17,968 EFTS, the year before.
That represented a drop of 380 EFTS.
Enrolments in Commerce have increased, Health Sciences remains similar to last year, while Humanities and Sciences were down.
Also down was the number of domestic students, while international student numbers have increased.
Māori and Pacific students were also up.
University of Otago acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Helen Nicholson said the University had expected a decline in domestic enrolments for 2023, but that this would be offset by international growth.
The domestic decline had been greater than forecast, with enrolments down 413 EFTS, while international growth was up about 35 EFTS, and was expected to increase witt late arriving students expected.
“We anticipated domestic first year decline due to demographic factors, and while this has eventuated, it has not been to quite the extent anticipated.”
She noted a second year of reduced retention at Otago, which was greater than anticipated.
The provisional shortfall against Otago’s budget was about 340 EFTS, and once semester two enrolments were known, the University was expecting a shortfall in the range of $3m to $5m.
“The above shortfalls are modest compared to the $20 million shortfall we faced this time last year,” Nicholson said.
“I have been advised that we have the capacity to absorb most, if not all of this shortfall centrally.”
She noted that the university typically gained about 1000 EFTS through to the end of December, with Semester two likely to be “a key determinant of exactly where we land for this year”.
He would arrive at a university facing financial issues, including courses cuts and layoffs.
The tertiary institution faced a $60m deficit in its budget, partly due to declining enrolments.