Fact Files: 2008-2009 Executive Summary

This summary highlights data from AJCU colleges and universities for the academic year of 2008-09, and includes some trends in that data since 2000-01.  Data was gathered with the assistance of institutional researchers on each campus using information from the Common Data Set as well as additional information requested by the AJCU office.

Enrollment and Retention

• The grand total headcount of all students for AJCU schools decreased slightly from 210,842 in 2007-08 to 209,778 in 2008-09. The total undergraduate enrollment also decreased slightly from 132,130 in 2007-2008 to 132,028 in 2008-09.
• The male/female ratio for enrolled undergraduate students was 43/57 in 2008-09, remaining essentially the same since 2000-01.
• The freshman admission rate was slightly less competitive this year than last year. In 2008-09, the average acceptance rate was 63.13%; in 2007-08, the average acceptance rate was 62.54%. The acceptance rates in 2008-09 ranged from 18.8% to 86%. The average percentage of freshmen entering with a GPA of 3.0 or higher has stayed roughly the same, from 86.2% in 2007-08 to 86.8% in 2008-09.
• The percentage of the freshman class coming from Jesuit high schools stayed roughly the same from 7.82% in 2007-08 to 7.52% in 2008-09.
• AJCU schools accepted an average of 44.38% of transfer applicants in 2008-2009. This is a significant change from 2007-08, when 52.62% of transfer applicants were accepted. In 2008-09, 49.48% of admitted students enrolled.
• The average percentage of minority undergraduates increased slightly from 23.86% in 2007-08 to 24.2% in 2008-09. In 2007-08, the percentage of minority enrollment ranged from 7.26% to 60.5%. In 2008-09, the percentage ranged from 8.4% to 60.8%.
• The average 6-year graduation rate in 2008-09 (for the fall 2002 cohort) was 74.4%, ranging from 48% to 94%. The average retention rate for freshmen has stayed at or above 85% since 2000-01. It increased slightly from 85.5% in 2007-08 to 86.0% in 2008-2009. In 2007-08, the average 6-year graduation rate (for the fall 2001 cohort) was 72.3%; the average freshman retention rate was 85.5%. In 2008-09, the 4-year graduation rate (for the fall 2002 cohort) was 63.71%, ranging from 31.5% to 92.0%.

Student Life

• In 2008-09, an average of 49.1% of freshman and an average of 45.1% of undergrad students were from out of state. An average of 86.6% of freshman and 55.4% of undergraduate students lived in college-run housing.
• In 2008-09, an average of 55.5% of undergraduate students identified themselves as Catholic, ranging from 33% to 77%. On average, 15.6% identified themselves as other Christian, 1.2% identified themselves as Jewish, 1.0% identified themselves as Muslim, 19.8% identified themselves as “Undeclared” and 6.6% identified themselves as “Other.”
• The community service portion of the 2008-09 Fact Files was modified from earlier versions for better accuracy, and to include service learning. In 2008-09, undergraduate students completed an estimated 2.4 million hours of community service. On average, an estimated 57% of undergraduate students participated in community service and an estimated18.8% of undergraduate students were enrolled in a student service learning program in fall 2008.

Faculty, Trustees, Alumni

• The total number of instructional faculty at AJCU schools for 2008-09 was 19,547; the percentage of minority faculty increased slightly from 12.1% in 2007-08 to 12.7% in 2008-09. In 2008-09, an average 44.42% of faculty were women, a slight increase from 43.90% in 2007-08. The average student/teacher ratio was 12.5 x 1 in 2008-09.
• The percentage of Jesuits on faculty decreased slightly from 2.0% in 2007-08 to 1.8% in 2008-09.
  In 2008-09, AJCU schools reported 1,751,243 million living alumni, an increase of 14,294 from the previous year. This figure has increased from 1,412,503 since 2000-01. 
• The average number of trustees for AJCU institutions in 2008-09 was 36. Each board has, on average, 7 Jesuits and 8 women.

Finances and Financial Aid

• The sum total of operational expenses for 27 of the 28 institutions was $6.4 billion for 2008-09. The sum total of operational revenues was $6.5 billion. (In 08-09, Saint Peter’s College did not report these data)
• The total endowments for 27 of the 28 institutions collectively added up to $6.2 billion in 2008-09, a 29.5% decrease from $8.8 billion in 2007-08. (In 07-08 and 08-09, Loyola University New Orleans did not report its endowment figures due to a late audit. In 08-09, Georgetown University did not provide endowment figures and Fairfield University did not specify restricted and unrestricted endowment figures.)
• The average percentage of alumni contributing to their schools decreased from 18.80% in 2007-08 to 16.5% in 2008-2009 (Surprisingly, this figure has been decreasing each year since 2003-04).
• *Tuition and fees rose on average 3.9% from 2008-09 to an average of $31,275 in 2009-10, with a range from $24,430 to $39,130. This is the lowest average percentage increase in ten years. The average tuition discount rate for undergraduate students was 37.5% in 2008-09, an increase from 36.08% in 2007-08.
  83,029 undergraduate students from all 28 schools reported receiving institutional aid in the form of grants in 2008-09, totaling $1.16 billion (an increase from $1.08 billion in 2007-08). The average institutional grant package per student in 2008-09 was $14,668, which increased from $13,706 in 2007-08. The total amount of federal grants [combined Pell and SEOG loans] for all AJCU schools in 2008-09 was $89.04 million.
• The average federal aid package for each student in 2008-09 was $2,693. The combined total of Perkins loans for all 28 schools was $24.7 million in 2008-09, with an average of 13.5% of students receiving Perkins loans at each school.
• On average, 65.6% of undergraduate students who graduated in 2008 took out loans, ranging from 43.6% to 88%. On average, the cumulative debt per-borrower was $25,058, ranging from $13,761 to $39,116.

*Please note: tuition and fees included in the AJCU Fact Files are for the 2009-10 school year; all other pieces of data are from the 2008-09 school year.

Updated: 1/28/2010