I. Budget Drivers – Revenue The most significant revenue driver for the university budget is clearly enrollment, both individual students (“headcount”) and full-time equivalent (FTE) students, which is total credits divided by 15. Headcount is most relevant for services that are not dependent upon credits taken, such as housing, dining, parking, and bookstore revenues. Other revenue elements, such as tuition and most mandatory fees are charged per credit taken and therefore FTE is the main driver. Budget development at CWU begins with fall headcount estimates, as it is quite easy to derive quarterly headcount, as well as FTE using established historical patterns from the fall headcount baseline. On the chart below, note the repeating pattern of higher enrollment in the fall, with a consistent drop each quarter. This drop is typically around 4-5 percent each quarter and comes from a combination of student persistence issues, graduation, and/or transfer to another institution.
The Starting Point - State Funded Enrollment Headcount by academic term
11,167
11,071 10,602 10,193
10,721 10,319 9,907
514
511
480
507
468
457
441
Fall 16 Winter 17 Spring 17 Fall 17 Winter 18 Spring 18 Fall 18 Undergraduate Graduate
Once estimates of quarterly student headcount and FTE are established, these data are used as revenue drivers for revenue of most of our operating fund groups.
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