Despite trends, some public colleges say they are fighting to keep in-state students home

At many public universities, out-of-state enrollment is on the rise. Recruiters are spread across the country, fighting to attract the most geographically diverse population and draw students away from their state schools. But for their adversaries, those public universities where in-state enrollment has remained steady, that battle looks different.

More than 240 public universities across the country admitted fewer in-state students in 2017 than they did just five years earlier, according to a USA TODAY analysis of data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. The data included public, four-year institutions offering baccalaureate degrees and above, not including military academies.

More: College recruiters aggressively go after out-of-state kids

By contrast, other institutions have maintained steady enrollment of in-state students. At 267 public universities, in-state enrollment dropped by less than 2% from 2012 to 2017. Of those, 213 showed either no change or positive growth, and 20 increased by 10% or more. Many of these universities are branch campuses within large university systems, or are less-selective alternatives to a state’s flagship.

Steady in-state enrollment is often the result of state-mandated restrictions. In Florida, for example, out-of-state students cannot exceed 10% of enrollment at state institutions. It’s also the case in North Carolina, where most campuses in the University of North Carolina system are held to an 18% cap on out-of-state enrollment.

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“We believe we can serve the country and serve the world by serving North Carolina well,” said Steve Farmer, vice president for enrollment in undergraduate admissions at Chapel Hill .

At their best, state-mandated limits to out-of-state enrollment are meant to protect in-state applicants from unnecessary competition, ensuring that public universities serve their state residents, first. Without a law in place, according to some admissions professionals, universities are prone to expanding their reach, bringing in more students on out-of-state tuition. This presents a disadvantage for students in the institution’s backyard.

“These universities have had to make a choice and are using whatever tools they can,” said Craig Meister, an admissions professional of 16 years.

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In fact, the University of Virginia made headlines recently for beginning discussions about removing their own out-of-state enrollment cap. The Virginia legislature instilled the cap in 2009, which kept in-state enrollment at the University of Virginia hovering around 66% for years. From 2012 to 2017, in-state enrollment at the flagship increased 1.5%. Removing the cap is expected to bring more students from outside Virginia.

The University of Virginia did not respond to requests for comment.

Whether or not universities stay focused on in-state or out-of-state students, they’re still affected by regional recruiters, who are becoming more numerous by the day. The University of Alabama has at least 40 recruiters, stationed in almost every corner of the country. There are two in Florida, along with recruiters from the University of Georgia, Tennessee and countless other flagship schools.

“Florida has an abundance of high school graduates,” said John Barnhill, director of enrollment at Florida State University, where Florida residents made up 89% of first-time freshmen in 2012, and 88% in 2017. “They’re coming here to entice our students to leave our state.”

With pressure to meet their mandate and competition descending on high schools from behind state lines, these universities have had to put greater emphasis on in-state recruiting. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which increased in-state enrollment by about 1% in five years, held 435 recruiting events throughout North Carolina last year.

“We want to be in people’s neighborhoods,” said Farmer. To “prove we are on their side.”

It’s a matter of principle, some administrators say. Public and land-grant universities are meant to help in-state students first. It’s a commitment to serving residents, they say.

“Even if it weren’t a state mandate, we would be serving state students first,” Barnhill said. “I believe that’s the mission of a state university.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Despite trends, some public colleges focus on in-state students