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OREM -- A national news website has ranked Utah Valley University freshmen as the 9th unhappiest in the nation, but university officials are crying foul.
The Huffington Post recently released a list of the universities with "the most unhappy freshmen" in the nation, based on freshman-retention rates.
The Post stated Utah Valley University had the 9th-lowest rate of freshmen returning for their sophomore year in the nation. University officials disagreed with the claim, stating UVU is about on par with the national average.
"The Huffington Post is wrong," said Michelle Kearns, director of the Office of Student Success and Retention. "UVU's freshman retention rate is 65.5 percent, compared to a national average of 67.3 percent. That is only slightly lower than the national average for four-year public open-admissions institutions."
Kearns said the Post probably based the report on out-of- date information: the university's retention rate has increased 27 percent in the last five years.
Part of that increase can be attributed to UVU making the transition from state college to university in 2008, according to Kearns.
"UVU is a new university," she said. "We only in 2005 made it an option to declare a four-year program as a major without having to complete a two-year program first. We're giving students more options and they are responding."
The university has also implemented a first-year experience program aimed at providing assistance to all freshmen, but particularly to members of risk populations. These include first-generation or low-income students, those with low grade-point-averages or ACT scores and those who test in remedial ranges in two or more areas.
The Huffington Post is wrong. UVU's freshman retention rate is 65.5 percent, compared to a national average of 67.3 percent. That is only slightly lower than the national average for four-year public open- admissions institutions.
–Michelle Kearns
The university's population provides the university with unique challenges, according to Kearns.
"It's a tricky business to be an open admissions institution," she said. "We accept students from a wide range of preparedness. We have students who struggle in different areas, but we have students who are excellent scholars."
"Providing services that meet the needs of every student has been tricky, but we've come a long way."
The majority of non-returning freshmen reported in a survey they either did not have the financial means to attend school, had pressing family obligations to attend to or cannot register for the classes they need to graduate.
Kearns said problems with registration are a growing phenomenon due to the rapid growth the university has seen over recent years.
"We are the largest public institution in Utah, and we continue to grow," she said. "Students who don't register rapidly often don't get into the classes they need for graduation."
The university lost 3,000 students fall semester who were admitted but could not get into necessary classes.
"Our mission is to provide open access, but lack of funding kind of creates a soft cap on enrollment," Kearns said. "If we don't have enough classroom space or faculty, there is a natural barrier. We don't turn anyone away in terms of admission, but if they can't get the classes, they fall away."
The problem has become more pressing as UVU has more and more become a first-choice institution, in Kearns' opinion.
"In the past, people may have attended for a short time before transferring to BYU," she said. "I think it used to occurr more often than not, but UVU is increasingly many people's first choice -- it's not the default, temporary, fix my grades, go before my mission school."
Our rate of admission of international students has stayed very consistant over the past decade. Our numbers from Utah have actually seen a slight increase over recent years, so I would have to disagree.
–Carri Jenkins
Kearns believed Utahns are increasingly choosing to attend UVU over BYU.
"In 2010, UVU admitted 1,305 new freshmen within one year of graduating from high school in Utah County," she said. "BYU admitted less than 500."
"BYU increasingly can't meet the needs of the community here," she said. "They are more internationally focused."
BYU did not have county-by-county data available, but pointed to the growing rate of admission of Utah residents as evidence against the claim.
"Our rate of admission of international students has stayed very consistant over the past decade," said Carri Jenkins, a university spokeswoman. "Our numbers from Utah have actually seen a slight increase over recent years, so I would have to disagree."
The percentage of BYU students who are Utah residents has risen from 29.7 percent in 2001 to 33.5 percent in 2011, seeing increases every year since 2003.
From 2006 to 2011, BYU's international-student enrollment remained between 1,900 and 2,100, hitting a high of 2,073 in 2008 before returning to 2006 levels of about 1,900.
"The numbers just do not support that claim," Jenkins said.
She added that admitting students from "all 50 states and from many countries" strengthens the university.
"BYU is well equipped to serve the Utah community, and I would caution against saying otherwise." she said. "And we are grateful we are in a community where we have two strong universities that can each serve growing student populations."
Serving growing student populations is something UVU will continue to struggle with as more students are admitted without a corresponding growth in funding, but Kearns said most students are happy with the progress the school is making.
"Every exiting survey we do, our students seem to be growing with appreciation for UVU and the quality institution we're becoming," she said.
"Our surveys don't reflect what The Huffington Post is saying," she added. "UVU is a unique institution, a young university, and our trends are headed in the right direction."
"It's using out-of-date numbers to compare apples to oranges -- it really isn't too relevant."
The Huffington Post could not be reached for further comment.
