Centennial Perspectives

Throughout the course of BGSU’s history, there have been a variety of methods used to track enrollment numbers. For this report, the statistics for the first fifty-three years (1914-1968) were taken from the annual catalogs printed during that time. Even though the method for collecting the enrollment numbers varied from year to year, there were some consistent practices.  Most of the figures compiled during this time span include extension classes. These were not correspondence courses.  Instructors were provided to teach the courses at locations 

outside of Bowling Green.  According to the BGSU annual catalogs, extension classes were offered from a variety of disciplines to the residents of northwest Ohio to broaden their education or to allow them to increase their level of training.  Until 1943, BGSU included the entire academic year as well as summer classes in its enrollment figures. An exception to this occurred in the 1930 figure when summer sessions were not counted.  Beginning in 1943, enrollment began to be tracked from a head-count of the fall semester only, and no longer included summer classes in the tally. These changes in collecting data account for the drastic drop in enrollment seen from 1929 to 1930 and from 1942 to 1943.

The enrollment figures from 1969-1990 were mostly pulled from statistics compiled by the Office of Planning and Budgeting. These numbers combine the head-counts of part-time and full-time students during the first semester for each year. The data compiled for years prior to 1969 did not specify whether part-time, full-time, or both head-counts were included. From 1991-1996, the enrollment figures were taken from the annual President’s Report, usually included in the minutes from the Board of Trustee’s fall semester meetings held in October, when enrollment was usually discussed. From 1991-1993, the enrollment number in the President’s Report only included the main campus. After 1993, the main campus enrollment figure was combined with the Firelands campus enrollment numbers for the final tally.  Note that enrollment figures in this report do not include branch or Firelands campus enrollment data unless otherwise stated. A separate enrollment compilation covering branch campuses will be posted at a future date.

The enrollment information from 1997-2008 is provided by BGSU’s Office of Institutional Research (IR). The IR’s method for collecting enrollment data looks at information for the first semester only of each academic year. The IR website posts enrollment data for the most recent six years. Further information may be found at their website. 

BGSU Firelands is one of seven undergraduate colleges of Bowling Green State University, located in Huron, Ohio. Over the years, BGSU has used off-site locations for extension courses, to serve a wider need in northwest Ohio. An experiment with more formal “branch campuses” began in 1946, with the Sandusky branch, but it closed in 1948. Branch campuses re-opened in 1953 and were eventually consolidated into the Firelands campus in 1968.

• Enrollment History - BGSU Main Campus (pdf format)
• Enrollment History - BGSU Firelands Campus (pdf format)