This is a peculiar finding, and one does wonder why more students apply and enroll. Any ideas?
My former colleagues at another university in Middle East have also been moved to online teaching indefinitely, with the students…
9 responses to “Changing a school’s name from “X College” to “X University” increases enrollment”
-
While not identical, I remember the discussion around the name change of my own university. Formerly Southwest Missouri State University, we are now Missouri State University. [SMSU to MSU]
At the time, much of the reasons given for the proposed change had to do with increased enrollments. I remember being skeptical. But I suspect, as with the current example, the issue is one of "prestigious-soundingness," in that regional designations or what seem to be smaller scales — i.e. college vs. university — diminish a desired image of prestige.
-
In the late '90s, long after I had graduated from college, I served on its alumni board. During one meeting the college president, an ordained minister, proposed changing the name from College to University. His rationale was precisely that it would render the institution more attractive to students, and he justified the change by noting that the college had a law school–now defunct–which indicated that the institution was more than a mere small liberal arts college. I was not impressed, and I even suggested that the proposal struck me as deceptive. I made a sarcastic comment along the lines of, "If we want to attract more students, why don't we change the college's name to Harvard?" Somewhat defensive, the president assured me that the practice was being used with some frequency by similar institutions, e.g., another liberal arts college with a law school–still operating today–in the region. Ultimately, my college didn't make the change; it remains a College.
Then the story gets sad and weird, albeit in ways not related to the naming issue. The president departed the college for a post at another liberal arts college in a different state. Shortly he was found dealing and taking methamphetamine in an off-campus hotel with a young adult. He was incarcerated and released, but arrested again due to issues with drug addiction. He died a few years ago.
-
I attended the Ontario College of Art (OCA), many years ago. It is in Canada, and it was NOT a degree granting institution. You were given the designation of AOCA (Associate of the Ontario College of Art), when you graduated. What really mattered was your portfolio. Since then, they have changed their name twice. It is now called OCAD University – The Ontario College of Art and Design University. They now issue bachelors degrees to graduates. I doubt the college changed in any substantive way – it was and still is one of the best art colleges in the country. But the change has allowed students to move into universities, if they pursue further formal studies, or if they transfer to a university. When I "transferred" for my studies at OCA – a full four years of study – the University of Toronto gave me the equivalence of maybe 6 or 12 credit hours. In Ontario, the difference between a UNIVERSITY and a COLLEGE is a big deal – colleges do not grant degrees. And OCA was regarded as neither a university nor a college. They were funded differently, and treated different as well.
-
Why would students be more attracted to a university than a college? I take it as a sign that the intellectual curiosity of the young has not yet been completely squelched by capitalism and that they, like the respondents above indicate, rightly perceive "university" as being much broader in its offerings. After all, Oxford and Cambridge Universities have multiple Colleges; in the US, large universities follow the same pattern and have a College of Arts and Sciences, a College of Engineering, and so forth. In standard usage, then, College often conveys a smaller body of more limited scope. Not to mention the association of the word with Community, which further conveys a different class association and even more limited offerings.
-
To my British ear, a US 'college' makes me think of either a 'community college' or a small 'liberal arts college', whereas a university sounds more substantial (and I believe all but one of the Ivy League are called universities). My alma mater used to be called Birkbeck College, University of London, often shortened to just Birkbeck College, but is now Birkbeck, University of London. I did wonder whether this was to increase enrolment since in the UK a college is only further education (equivalent to junior/senior highschool in the US) whereas a university is higher education. Is this the same in other countries? No doubt US universities are trying to attract international students so perhaps this played a part.
-
Turns out there's a good deal of marketing research about branding in higher education. Here's NYT on the phenomenon: https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/11/education/to-woo-students-colleges-choose-names-that-sell.html
-
FWIW, this is true across Canada–the 'university' designation is accredited, and signifies a degree-granting institution (although you can get the designation without offering many degrees, as at my institution!). 'Colleges' are technical/vocational schools which offer diplomas.
But I doubt that Canadian usage has any influence at all on US admissions! It must just be that 'university' sounds fancier.
-
As a couple of commentators have mentioned, in Canada, colleges and universities are different kinds of institutions, so the change from "X College" to "X University" is not an option without changes in accreditation. Still, a number of institutions here have adopted flashy 'brand names' for marketing purposes, different from their actual legal names.
The University of Western Ontario (in London, Ontario) is now 'Western University', although the university still goes by its old name in legal documents.
The University of Ontario Institute of Technology (one might think it is part of a larger 'University of Ontario', but there is no such institution) is now Ontario Tech University. Again, this is a 'brand name' change only; the formal name of the university is unchanged.
In fact, I think in most countries outsdie of the US, a university is something different from a college, and has more prestige. Although not mentioned in the linked article, perhaps another reason for the change could be an increasing need to attract substantial numbers of international students, for whom the differences between a college and a university are crucial.
-
The Australian situation is peculiar – when tertiary education was expanded in the 1980-90's, the older second-tier TAFE Colleges all turned into Universities, as did some higher level Institutes…
—–
KEYWORDS:
Primary Blog
Leave a Reply