Domestic Enrolments Up 35% At Lincoln University

The numbers of domestic students enrolled at Lincoln University for Semester 1 are substantially higher than at the same time last year.

A total of 894 domestic equivalent full-time students (EFTS) are enrolled at the University, an increase of 231, or 35%, over the 2020 Semester 1 domestic EFTS total.

New-to-Programme domestic enrolments are up 58% on last year’s number, or 174 EFTS.

These figures represent the highest number of domestic EFTS enrolled for Lincoln University Semester 1 programmes since before 2010.

Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Bruce McKenzie said the domestic student numbers were significantly ahead of target, and demonstrated the University’s ability to anticipate and respond to the changing demands of students and employers in the COVID-19-affected environment.

“Lincoln is a globally-ranked specialist land-based university, so is ideally positioned to deliver on the agriculture sector’s rapidly increasing need for work-ready graduates.

“New Zealand’s primary industries are confronting a number of distinct challenges in the COVID-impacted marketplace, and Lincoln has moved swiftly over the last 12 months to tailor our course offerings to meet the demands of the country’s thriving food and fibre sectors, and ultimately produce graduates who will help drive the economy forward.”

Six of Lincoln’s sub-degree programmes, in its specialist fields of food and fibre, became fees-free when the Government’s Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund took effect in Semester 2 2020. The University extended this initiative to offer its own fee waivers on targeted courses until December 2022.

Professor McKenzie explains, “Lincoln introduced tuition fee waivers in mid-2020 on a number of our postgraduate programmes, including taught Master’s degrees, to encourage people to gain the knowledge and skills to contribute to a more productive and sustainable future.

“Our strategies to remove barriers to study and to innovate our study programmes have yielded positive results, with our domestic student numbers at a 10-year high and a vibrant and buoyant atmosphere on campus,” says Professor McKenzie.

Professor McKenzie said it was also satisfying to be able to offer young people, or those looking for a change of direction, a rewarding new pathway for their study and potentially for their career aspirations.

Lincoln has also recorded its highest total of Māori students since before 2010, with 161 students, an increase of 17% since Semester 1 2020.

Professor McKenzie said this increase is particularly significant for the University, which has a key strategic focus on boosting the achievements of Māori and Pasifka.

“We are dedicated to ensuring Māori and Pasifika tauira are supported throughout their educational journey, and have implemented targeted programmes to demonstrate manaakitaka to all cultures on campus.

“The University is committed to contributing to the Māori economy by developing trained and skilled thought leaders to support maximum performance and growth of Māori assets. The increasing participation and retention rate of Māori learners is a particularly pleasing outcome of our successful 2021 enrolment campaign.”

The gender balance of Lincoln’s student population for 2021 has females outnumbering males, with 53% females and 47% males, further cementing a trend that began in 2018.

Semester 1 2021 also sees the highest number of domestic postgraduate students enrolled at Lincoln since before 2010, with 181 EFTS.

Lincoln University’s 2021 programmes recording the largest increase of domestic EFTS on Semester 1 2020 are: agriculture/horticulture with a 23% increase; landscape architecture with a 15% increase; viticulture and management/commerce are both up by 11%; and environmental studies have increased by 9%.

As expected, the University has experienced a drop in international student enrolments due to the COVID-19 border restrictions, with its 2020 total of 359 Semester 1 EFTS reducing to 195 EFTS in 2021.

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