JSU enrollment down

Jacksonville State University enrolled 8,314 students this semester  the lowest JSU has seen since 2000, when enrollment in the fall was 8,002,. This year marks the fifth straight year the school’s enrollment has declined.

The latest enrollment represents a 12.5 percent decrease from 2010, when JSU enrolled an all-time high 9,504 students. That was as close as the university has come to reaching its stated goal of enrolling 10,000 students before the consecutive years of decline.

President John Beehler says he considers the enrollment trend to be “the biggest challenge” heading into his tenure.

School officials, including Beehler, have cited a two-pronged reason for JSU’s dipping enrollment. The cost of college has risen, they say, while financial aid has fallen. including Congress’ cuts to the Pell Grant program.

In April, JSU’s board of trustees approved a 6 percent tuition increase to $300 per credit hour for in-state undergraduate students, or about $7,200 to attend full-time for two semesters, with graduate and out-of-state students typically paying more. the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard database lists JSU as currently the fourth most expensive public university for in-state Alabamians to attend, behind the University of Alabama, Auburn University and the University of Alabama at Huntsville.