Thursday, 23 October 2014

Enrolment 2014/2015: the level of new students improves

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The enrolments for the academic year 2014/15 showed good results. There are 3,888 new students (an increase by 1.38%): the number of enrolled students remains stable. 
The most significant figure regards the increasing interest towards the courses offered by the University of Trento and the increase of the number of students who are potentially more motivated. This element is proved by the trend of the 6,306 early enrolment applications submitted for the 2,535 available places (2.49 for each place), versus the 4,791 early enrolment applications submitted in 2013/14, for the then 2,325 available places (2.06 for each place).
The interest towards the University of Trento increase and the number of enrolled students remains stable: this is the result of the strategy planned by the University to improve the students’ selection, thus reducing the drop-out rate, to continue offering high-quality services and teaching activities to a sustainable students’ community, in a medium-sized university. 

The small oscillations in the number of enrolled students are only due to technical elements, regarding the restricted-access courses and the high number of applications. The University of Trento has been applying for few years the restricted-access system to an increasing number of courses. It also strengthened its orientation campaigns: these measures seem to bear fruits starting from the enrolment process 2014/15. The number of graduates is therefore expected to increase.

The academic year 2014/15 comprises 20 programmes requiring taking a compulsory access test or a self-evaluation test. The restricted-access system was applied for the first time to the degree course in Historical and philological studies (Department of Humanities) and in Interfaces and communication technology (Department of Psychology and Cognitive science). The selective tests took place in two sessions - spring and summer - according to the calendar scheduled for each course. The degree courses in Philosophy, Physics and Mathematics do not require passing any selective test.

Some figures: the three restricted-access degree courses of the Department of Economics and Management received 1,801 early enrolment applications for the 525 available places (3.43 applications for each place), in comparison with the 1,452 submitted last year (2.77 for each place). 493 students finalised their enrolment (8 students less than last year).

Early enrolment applications for the Faculty of Law were 1,338 (vs 838 of last year), for the 500 available places, corresponding to 2.68 applications for each place (vs 1.98 of last year). 475 students enrolled after passing their test (10 students more than last year).

The Department of Humanities offered 570 places in restricted-access courses - including for the first time Historical and Philological-literary Studies. 801 students applied (1.41 for each place), while last year 608 students had applied to be selected for one of the 410 places (1.48 for each place). The degree course in Philosophy does not require passing a test and it recorded a significant increase with + 22.8% with 178 enrolled students (vs 145 of last year). In total 608 students enrolled (8 more than last year).

The 495 available places at the Department of Sociology and Social Research were the objective of 984 early applications (1.99 applications per place), in comparison with the 776 applications received last year (1.57 per place). 396 students enrolled after passing their test (30 students more than last year).

The enrolments in the Engineering courses also show positive indexes: a apart from Architecture and Building Engineering, all courses were accessible through a compulsory self-evaluation selective test, with a specific pass-threshold. 328 students enrolled to Civil, environmental and mechanical engineering, 14 less than last year. Information engineering and science enrolled 330 new students, 9 more than last year. 
Industrial engineering continues with its positive trend, which already started last year: 181 enrolled students, 10 more than last year. The 100 available places for the course in Architecture and Construction engineering were the objective of 122 early applications (1.22 applications per place), in comparison with the 123 applications received last year (1.23 per place). 94 students enrolled after passing their test (19 students more than last year).

The 75 available places for the course in Biomolecular science and technologies at CIBIO were the objective of 427 early applications (5.69 applications per place), in comparison with the 397 applications received last year (5.29 per place). 74 students enrolled after passing their test (1 less than last year).

The course of Communication interfaces and technologies of the Department of Psychology and Cognitive sciences received 74 applications for the 70 available places. 
Considering also the figures recorded by the course in Science and techniques of cognitive psychology (which had reduced the number of available places from 220 to 200) the courses of the Department received 833 early enrolment applications for the 270 available places (3.09 applications per place), while last year they submitted 597 applications for the 220 places (2.71 applications per place). The overall figure of Psychology and Cognitive sciences is 238 enrolled students, hence 48 less than last year. This figure is due to the
fact that the course in Communication interfaces and technologies was restricted-access for the first time, which usually leads to an initial decrease in the enrolment applications.

The courses of Physics and Mathematics do not require passing any selective test. Both courses had good results, with significant increase in the number of enrolments. The degree course in Physics received 135 enrolment applications, versus the 110 of last year (+ 24 students). The Degree course in Mathematics received 125 enrolment applications, 26 more than last year, when 94 students had applied.

The early enrolment and enrolment trend to restricted-access courses underlines the excellent reputation of the University of Trento, of its range of courses and of the orientation activity, carried out in cooperation with the local high schools, which continues to bring about good results. The choice was also stimulated by the policy of fee university calculation based on the family income bracket, which Trento has been applying for some years now, among the first universities in Italy.