By the Numbers: 2023 Enrollment Deposit Report

Advertising and Public Relations

The drop in enrollment deposits in ADPR was more significant at a decline of 19%. In fall 2022, 42 students paid enrollment deposits. This fell to 34 for fall 2023. Application and admitted student numbers were flat between the years, but the conversion of admitted students to enrollment deposits fell from 67.7% in fall 2022 to 59.3% for fall 2023.

Broadcasting

Enrollment deposits from broadcasting students increased slightly from 25 in fall 2022 to 26 for fall 2023. Applications grew from 57 to 69 and admitted students grew from 51 to 64. The conversation rate in this program also decreased from 49% to 42.2%.

Journalism

Journalism experienced the largest enrollment decline at 46.4%, dropping from 41 enrollment deposits in fall 2022 to just 28 for fall 2023. The number of applications was flat with 133 for fall 2022 and 137 for fall 2023. The number of admitted students was also flat with 116 for fall 2022 and 118 for fall 2023. The conversion rate of admitted students to enrollment deposits also fell for journalism, dropping from 35.3% in fall 2022 to 23.7% in fall 2022. 

Sports Media and Communication

Unlike the other majors, sports media and communication experienced sizable growth in enrollment deposits, increasing from 67 for fall 2022 to 82 for fall 2023, an increase of 22.3%. Similar to ADPR and BRDC, applications grew in SPMC from 216 to 265 in fall 2023. Admitted students also grew from 174 to 223. While SPMC also saw a decline in the conversion of admitted students to enrollment deposits, the decline was smaller than other majors, dropping from 38.5% in fall 2022 to 37.7% in fall 2023.

Overall, the college saw an increase in the number of students who apply and are admitted to one of our four majors. This is due to our declining conversion rate of admits to enrollment deposits. Our recruiting efforts in recent years – including conference participation, the growth in the a la carte workshops and our partnerships with Bay High and Boys and Girls Club – have been focused on increasing applications and admits. These efforts have clearly been successful. However, the number of students who paid their enrollment deposit has not increased due to the declining conversion rates between admits and EDS. Next year, we will need to proactively focus our efforts on improving these conversion rates to increase our overall incoming freshman enrollment.

Racial and Ethnic Diversity

The university improved in the diversity of the incoming freshman class, moving from 77.1% white in fall 2022 to 76.2% in fall 2023.

While our overall enrollment rates for fall declined, we also improved the racial and ethnic diversity of our incoming freshman class. In fall 2022, 84% of our incoming freshmen identified as white. This number declined to 75.3% for fall 2023. We saw increases in African American students, from four to five, American Indian students, from zero to one, Asian students, from two to four, Hispanic/Latino students from 14 to 19 and multiracial students from six to 12.

Advertising and Public Relations

The diversity of the incoming class in ADPR also improved over last year. In fall 2022, 88.1% of incoming ADPR students were white. This decreased to 76.5% in fall 2023. The major saw increases in African American students (one to two), Hispanic/Latino students (three to five) and multiracial students (zero to one).

Broadcasting

Incoming broadcasting students are less racially and ethnically diverse, at 84.6% white than the overall incoming college class. While we continue to need to improve our broadcasting students' diversity, the proportion did improve overall in fall 2022, when the incoming class was 92% white. Broadcasting saw increases in Asian students (zero to one) and multiracial students (zero to two). However, it declined in Hispanic/Latino students (two to one). 

Journalism

The racial and ethnic diversity of incoming journalism remained flat between the fall of 2022 and the fall of 2023 with 75% of students identifying as white. However, the headcount of diverse students decreased due to the decline in enrollment deposits. African American students dropped from two to one and Hispanic/Latino students dropped from six to four. Multiracial students remained flat at four and Asian students remained flat at one. 

Sports Media and Communication

The racial and ethnic diversity of the incoming SPMC students is greater than the other three majors and the overall college ratio. In fall 2023, 72.0% of SPMC freshmen will identify as white. This is an increase from fall 2022, where 83.6% of incoming students identified as white. The major will see an increase in African American students (two to three), American Indian students (zero to one), Hispanic/Latino students (one to five) and multiracial students (two to seven).

The improvement in the diversity of incoming freshmen was driven by improvements in advertising and public relations and sports media and communication, while journalism remained flat, and broadcasting declined. To improve our overall racial and ethnic diversity we can focus on identifying opportunities to recruit more diverse journalism and broadcasting students. 

Gender Diversity

Our incoming freshman class continues the trend of being a majority female with 55.9% of students. This is a slight increase over fall 2022, where 54.3% of students identified as female indicating we are not improving in gender diversity. CoJMC’s female population is greater than the broader university community, where 53.4% of the incoming freshman class identify as female. In fall 2022, the university added a nonbinary gender category to the application. No CoJMC students identified as nonbinary.

Advertising and Public Relations

ADPR has long been majority female and continues to become less diverse in the gender of students. In fall 2022, incoming students were 81% female. This grew to 85.3% in fall 2023. ADPR has an opportunity to grow by seeking to recruit additional male students into the program.

Broadcasting

Gender diversity in broadcasting improved over the last year. The fall 2023 class will be 50% female, while the fall 2023 was a majority female at 64%.

Journalism

The journalism major became just slightly more gender diverse with the proportion of incoming freshman identifying as female dropping from 68.2% in fall 2022 to 67.8% in all 2023.

Sports Media and Communication

The SPMC major also saw an increase in gender diversity. The major has been predominantly male. However, the incoming class increased the proportion of female students to 41.5% in fall 2023, from 25.4% in fall 2022.

To increase the diversity of our college, we need to focus on recruiting more male students into advertising and public relations, broadcasting and journalism, while recruiting more female students into sports media and communication. 

First Generation Students

Our proportion of first-generation students remained flat at 22.9%. Thirty-nine students in the incoming freshman class identify as first-generation students, while 131 do not. Our proportion of first-generation students lags behind the university, which, although also flat from last year, remains at 25.4%.

Advertising and Public Relations

The proportion of first-generation students increased significantly with the fall 2023 class. In fall 2022, only 14.3% of incoming students identified as first-generation. This increased to 23.5% in fall 2023.

Broadcasting

The proportion of broadcasting students that identify as first generation is slightly above the college at 23.0%. However, the proportion declined from fall 2022, which was 24%.

Journalism

The proportion of journalism majors identifying as first-generation students is higher than the overall college population and grew from 21.9% in fall 2022 to 28.7% in fall 2023.

Sports Media and Communication

The proportion of first-generation students in SPMC declined from 28.4% in fall 2022 to 20.7% in fall 2023. Given the overall increase in enrollment, the headcount declines in first-generation students only fell by two, from 19 in fall 2022 to 17 in fall 2023. 

ACT Scores

The average ACT score for incoming freshman is 23.6, a slight increase over last year’s average score of 23.4. The university’s average ACT score for incoming students is 24.9. The proportion of our incoming class with a low ACT score (below 20) decreased this year, from 14.3% in 2022 to 9.4% in 2023. Although improved, this rate is still above the broader university community at 8.4%.

Advertising and Public Relations

The average ACT score for incoming freshmen dropped slightly in ADPR, decreasing from 23.9 in fall 2022 to 22.7 in fall 2023. However, the proportion of students with an ACT score below 20 decreased from 16.6% in fall 2022 to only 11.7% in fall 2022.

Broadcasting

The average ACT score of incoming broadcasting students fell from 24.9 in fall 2022 to 22.9 in fall 2023. The proportion of incoming students with an ACT score of less than 20 remained flat at 4%.

Journalism

The average ACT score for incoming journalism students fell just slightly from 24.8 in fall 2022 to 24.7 in fall remaining above the overall college average of 23.6. The proportion of students scoring less than 20 on the ACT grew from 0% in fall 2022 to 7.1% in fall 2023.

Sports Media and Communication  

The average ACT score for incoming students in SPMC rose from 21.5 in fall 2022 to 23.7 in fall 2023. Additionally, the proportion of students with an ACT score below 20 fell from 25.4% in fall 2022 to 11% in fall 2023.

Overall, the college’s average incoming ACT score increased, driven by improvement in ACT scores from incoming students in sports media and communication, while the other three majors declined. 

States

Twenty states will be represented in the incoming freshman class. The largest population will come from Nebraska, with 113 students or 66.5% of the incoming class. Across the University, the proportion of Nebraska students is higher, with 73.5% being in the state. After Nebraska, the largest populations will come from the Midwest including Iowa (eight), Minnesota (eight), Colorado (six), Illinois (five) and Texas (five). 

Advertising and Public Relations

Incoming ADPR students hail from six states. The proportion of in-state students is higher than the overall college proportion (66.5%) and the overall university proportion (73.5%) at 79.4%.  In addition to Nebraska, students hail from Iowa (two), Texas (two), Illinois (one), Michigan (one) and North Dakota (one). 

Broadcasting

Incoming broadcasting students will hail from six states. 76.9% of the incoming class will be Nebraska residents, higher than the college (66.5%) and university (73.5%). In addition to Nebraska (20), students will come from Illinois (two), Iowa (one), Kansas (one), Ohio (one) and Washington (one).  

Journalism

Freshman journalism majors in fall 2023 will hail from seven states. A majority, 75%, will be resident students, while 25% will be out-of-state. Students will hail from Minnesota (two), Colorado (one), Texas (one), Idaho (one), Wisconsin (one) and West Virginia (one). 

Sports Media and Communication 

Incoming SPMC students will be more geographically diverse than the other three majors, with only 55% of students being in-state. Students will hail from 14 different states including Nebraska (45), Minnesota (six), Colorado (five), Iowa (five), Missouri (four), Kansas (three), Illinois (two), South Dakota (two), Texas (two), Arizona (two), Georgia (two), International (one), Utah (one), Wisconsin (one) and Wyoming (one). 

The high proportion of out-of-state students is driven by enrollment in sports media and communication, whereas in-state students account for only 55% of enrollment deposits. 

Feeder Schools

The top feeder high schools for the college are all Nebraska high schools located in Lincoln or Omaha. This aligns with the broader university, where the top 10 feeder schools are all located in Lincoln and Omaha. A feeder high school has provided the highest number of students to the college over the past four years. 

HS Name	Total
Lincoln East High School	22
Lincoln Southwest High School	15
Lincoln Southeast High School	14
Millard West High School	13
Millard North High School	11
Papillion-Lavista Sr High School	11
Burke High School	10
Millard South High School	9
Westside High School	9
Central High School	8

Advertising and Public Relations

Following the college trend, the largest feeder high schools in ADPR are Lincoln and Omaha area high schools. Several strong feeder schools have developed with 11 schools providing more than two students over that timeframe. 

HS Name	Total
Lincoln East High School	9
Burke High School	6
Lincoln Southwest High School	6
Lincoln High School	5
Lincoln Southeast High School	4
Millard North High School	4
Millard West High School	4
Ashland Greenwood High School	3
Lincoln Lutheran Jr Sr High School	3
Marian High School	3
Papillion-Lavista Sr High School	3

Broadcasting

Broadcasting has a limited number of feeder schools with only two providing more than two students to the college over the past four years. Unlike the college, neither of broadcasting’s feeder schools are in Lincoln or Omaha and one is located in Niles, Illinois. 

HS Name	Total
Malcolm High School	3
Notre Dame College Prep	3

Journalism

Like the college at large, a majority of journalism’s feeder schools are located in Lincoln and Omaha with a couple in smaller eastern Nebraska communities. The pipelines into journalism are fairly strong, with 12 different schools providing more than two students over the past four years. 

HS Name	Total
Lincoln Southwest High School	8
Millard West High School	7
Central High School	6
Bellevue West Sr High School	4
Gretna High School	3
Lincoln East High School	3
Lincoln North Star High School	3
Northwest High School	3
Omaha North High School	3
Papillion-Lavista Sr High School	3
Seward High School	3
Westside High School	3

Sports Media and Communication 

The sports media and communication major has developed a good group of feeder high schools with 14 different schools providing more than two students to the college over the past four years. Most are in Lincoln or Omaha, but one is out of state in Minnesota and three are in other Nebraska communities. 

HS Name	Total
Lincoln East High School	8
Lincoln Southeast High School	8
Millard South High School	7
Millard North High School	5
Chanhassen High School	4
Elkhorn South High School	4
Lincoln Northeast High School	4
Papillion-Lavista Sr High School	4
Westside High School	4
Bellevue West Sr High School	3
Creighton Preparatory School	3
Grand Island Sr High School	3
Norris High School	3
Waverly High School	3

Competitor Programs

Competitor programs are those programs that ultimately enrolled the highest number of students who were admitted to CoJMC for fall 2022. In total, 194 students who were admitted to CoJMC for fall 2022 enrolled elsewhere, with 53 enrolling in other programs in Nebraska and 141 enrolling out of state. Two of our top competitors are in the University of Nebraska System, with UNO tied for our biggest competitor and UNK tied for our fifth largest competitor. 

College Name	Total
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA	13
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA OMAHA	13
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY	8
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS	8
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA	7
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER	5
INDIANA UNIVERSITY BLOOMINGTON	4
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA	4
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY	4
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA	4
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA	4
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AT KEARNEY	4

Advertising and Public Relations

Competitor programs are those programs that ultimately enrolled the highest number of students who were admitted to ADPR for fall 2022. In total, 16 students who were admitted to ADPR for fall 2022, enrolled elsewhere, with six enrolling in other programs in Nebraska and 10 enrolling out of state. ADPR’s largest competitors are very close by, either in the University system or adjacent states.

College Name	Grand Total
IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY	2
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS	2
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA OMAHA	2

Broadcasting

In total, 22 students who were admitted to BRDC for fall 2022, enrolled elsewhere, with six enrolling in other programs in Nebraska and 16 enrolling out of state.

College Name	Grand Total
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA	2
UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA	2

Journalism

In total, 67 students who were admitted to JOUR for fall 2022 enrolled elsewhere, with 25 enrolling in other programs in Nebraska and 42 enrolling out of state.

The largest in state competitor was the University of Nebraska Omaha, with other competitors attracting more than two students being out of state.

College Name	Grand Total
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA	7
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA OMAHA	7
KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY	5
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER	3
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS	3
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA	3

 

Sports Media and Communication 

In total, 89 students who were admitted to SPMC for fall 2022 enrolled elsewhere, with 16 enrolling in other programs in Nebraska and 73 enrolling out of state.

The largest in state competitor was the University of Nebraska Omaha, with other competitors attracting more than two students being out of state.

College Name	Grand Total
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI-COLUMBIA	4
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA	3
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH DAKOTA	3
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA OMAHA	3

Transfer Students

The college also declined slightly in transfer students, dropping from 23 for fall 2022 to 21 in fall 2023. Our transfer applications remained flat between years at 53, with 30 admitted for fall 2022 and 29 admitted for fall 2023.

Racial and Ethnic Diversity

The racial and ethnic diversity is similar to the college proportion with 76.2% of incoming students identifying as white. This is an increase from fall 2022 when only 60.39% of transfer students identified as white.

Gender

Transfer students tend to be male with only 42.9% identifying as female for fall 2023. This mirrors previous years where 47.8% identified as female in fall 2022, and 40% in fall 2021.

ACT

Transfer students have a lower average ACT score than the overall college population at 21.3. Additionally, a higher proportion of transfer students scored below 20 on the ACT at 23.8%.

States

Eighty-one percent of transfer students are Nebraska residents. Students will also hail from California (one), Iowa (one), Illinois (one) and Kentucky.

Feeder Schools

Our largest feeder programs for transfer students are all located in the State of Nebraska. Those programs that have provided more than two transfer students over the past four years are:

College Name	Total
Metropolitan Community College	7
Southeast Community College	5
Northeast Community College	4
University of Nebraska Omaha	4
Central Community College	3
Mid Plains Community College	3