Wright State tuition revenue expected to fall

DAYTON — Wright State University will see an even bigger decline in tuition and fee revenue this fall than initially expected.

A preliminary budget for fiscal year 2020 originally showed Wright State absorbing about a $9 million decline in tuition revenue. But the budget presented to the board of trustees Thursday showed that the decline is actually expected be more than $16.5 million.

The decline in revenue is mainly the result of another expected decline in enrollment this fall. Wright State was projected to welcome fewer students to campus next month than it had in more than 37 years, the budget showed.

A total of around 14,411 students were expected to attend Wrigt State starting in late August. A budget presented to trustees Wednesday showed that number revised down to around 13,380.

The enrollment drop amounts to a 14% decrease in total students from last fall, which is nearly double the 7.4% decline WSU was projected as of June, documents show.

The change from last month is due to a bigger than predicted decline among graduate students. The university expects the total number of grad students will decline by around 23% this fall as opposed to the 13.5% decrease projected in June, according to budget documents.

Tuition and fees are the university’s biggest source of revenue, as it is at most other colleges. Wright State’s success is “dependent on enrolling and graduating more students,” President Cheryl Schrader told the board today.

Schrader called this coming year’s budget a “challenging one.” The university projects it will break even in fiscal year 2020 after two years of running a surplus.

The university added around $6.2 million at the end of FY 2019, according to the budget. The savings will increase reserves to more than $60 million after years of overspending drained them to $31 million in fiscal year 2017.