As Miami University looks to increase its national prominence, Provost Jeffrey Herbst said he expects to see an increased number of out-of-state students attending Miami in the years to come.
At the Friday, Sept. 5 Board of Trustees Finance and Audit Committee meeting, President David Hodge said Miami is hoping to increase the number out-of-state students in order to establish a greater national reputation, as well as help Ohio's economy.
"Out-of-state students are not taking away opportunities from Ohio students but are increasing opportunities for students in Ohio," Hodge said. "We are (contributing) to the economy of the entire state."
Herbst agreed.
"A lot of people are leaving Ohio," Herbst said. "The university brings in students to Ohio who are very important to the economy of Ohio. It is the long-term health of the state that is absolutely critical."
Currently, 35 percent of the student body at the Oxford campus is from outside Ohio. This figure is less than 20 percent sif regional campuses are included, according to Herbst.
However, Herbst said Miami is not hoping to fill a quota for out-of-state students.
"There's no target (out-of-state percentage)," Herbst said. "Every application is still read individually; (there is) one pool of applications. We are anticipating an increase in out-of-state applicants (and) that the process will happen naturally."
While out-of-state tuition is higher than in-state tuition, due to the Ohio Resident and Leader scholarships and the state tuition freeze, increasing the number of out-of-state students to raise more money is not the ultimate goal, according to Herbst.
In reality, Herbst said the effort to attract more students from outside Ohio is part of an effort to bolster Miami's national reputation. This includes maintaining the same number of enrolled students, while accepting fewer applicants.
Miami's current acceptance rate is 75 percent and Herbst said this number needs to continue to decline.
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"The best way to get more applicants is to drive down acceptance rate," Herbst said.
According to Herbst, lower acceptance rates create a higher desire for students to attend a university-one reason why Ivy League schools have so many applicants.
According to Herbst, yield rates nationwide, or the number of applicants divided by the number of acceptances, have decreased over the years since students are applying to more schools. However, Miami's biggest decline in yield rates comes from its biggest competitor-Ohio State University.
"(Ohio State) has become a very important competitor," Herbst said. "Very smart, a lot of publicity and sports. We now fight for every student with Ohio State."
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