Prospective members of this fall’s freshman class at the University of Rhode Island gather there for an orientation visit early this month. In this dismal economy, colleges throughout the state and the nation have had to refine their strategies to attract enough students.

The Providence Journal / Glenn Osmundson

For Samira Hosseini, the college search was simple. Cost determined where she applied, and where she decided to go this fall.

“I made sure I was applying to less-expensive schools,” said Hosseini, 18, of Narragansett, who will attend the University of Rhode Island. “I didn’t apply to any private schools. Cost was definitely a factor.”

Perhaps more than most years, students and their parents considered cost above all else when making decisions about college at their kitchen tables.

Some families are enduring pay cuts or the loss of jobs. Others are fearful they could be next. The financial pressures, in turn, made this spring the most challenging admissions season in recent memory, say officials at area colleges and universities.

Across the state, higher-education institutions used different strategies to fill their freshman classes. But about half of them say they are bracing for smaller freshman enrollments this fall.

“It was a year we’d expected to be unsettling and unsettled, and it acted that way all through May,” said Chris Lydon, dean of admission at Providence College. “It’s been a wild ride. We were down double digits in the numbers of deposits compared to a year ago.”

PC tried to expand its freshman class by about 100 students to mitigate the loss of any juniors or seniors who decided not to return for economic reasons, Lydon said, and it took students off its wait list early. But in the end, PC settled for a freshman class roughly the same size as last year’s — 975 students — and didn’t lose many upperclassmen.

“I’m watching the summer melt very closely,” said Lydon. Over the summer, colleges often lose a few students who have sent in deposits.

Nationally and locally, many private institutions saw a decline in applications this year, while public institutions, including URI, Rhode Island College and the Community College of Rhode Island, experienced an increase.

Nevertheless, URI will be lucky if it manages to hold its own with about 3,150 freshmen, said Cynthia Bonn, URI’s dean of admission. Despite hosting two, rather than one, visiting days for admitted students, deposits are down slightly from last year, Bonn said.

RIC and CCRI, on the other hand, are anticipating bigger incoming classes this September, an indication that many students saw public colleges as a good deal in a tough economy.

Two prestigious institutions, Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design, had an easier time. Both said they had no problems filling their freshman classes.

“What you are seeing in Rhode Island is very typical of the national scene,” said Scott Jaschik, editor of InsideHigherEd.com, a higher-education Web site. “Generally the most elite and wealthy institutions didn’t see a change, even if their endowments took a hit. People are still going to be lining up to go to Brown and RISD. Where it gets more complicated is at the privates that don’t have the same national base or financial resources.”

Salve Regina University saw a 14 percent dip in applications, an early indication the Catholic college in Newport would struggle to fill its freshman class. Most years, the college enrolls between 550 and 575 freshman. This year’s class will be about 525, said Colleen Emerson, dean of undergraduate admissions.

“We had made such strides in improving academic quality that we didn’t want to lose ground on that,” Emerson said. “I plan on being more aggressive with mid-year enrollment and transfers.”

Roger Williams University, in Bristol, took a different approach, and let in about 40 more freshmen than last year, including some who would not have made the cut last year, said Lynn Fawthrop, senior vice president for enrollment.

“Our goal was 1,120 new students and we are at 1,160, so we are actually ahead,” Fawthrop said. With a 370-bed dormitory opening this fall, there will be plenty of room for a bigger class.

“We were more lenient on the SAT scores, but only slightly, down from an average of about 1,100 to 1,096,” she said. “And we maintained a 3.1 [grade point average].” Roger Williams also accepted about 30 deposits during the first week in May, after the deadline, something the university has not usually done, she said.

Many colleges increased financial aid in recognition of the strain many families are under. Brown and PC even added extra aid between the fall and spring semesters last year, after receiving calls from parents who had lost their jobs and were worried they might have to pull their children out for the spring.

“We also gave people more leeway by letting students enroll for classes without paying first,” said James S. Miller, Brown’s dean of admission. Brown is dedicating about $7 million more in grants and scholarships for 2009-10, for a total of $76.5 million.

Smaller private colleges are particularly vulnerable in an economic downturn, said Jaschik, who tracks national higher education trends. They rely almost entirely on tuitions to operate, and lack the cushion of a big endowment or state support.

“A lot of private schools are betting that this is a short-term downturn, and they are aggressively increasing aid to secure students,” Jaschik said. “But the question is, how many years can you do that?”

Johnson & Wales made the biggest investment in financial aid, adding $22 million for both new and returning students across its four campuses for a total of $116 million. At the same time, the university, which has toughened its admissions requirements in recent years, accepted 200 fewer freshmen.

“What we did not want to do was take steps backward in our selectivity standards and accept a lower-profile student here to fill seats,” said Kenneth F. DiSaia, vice president of enrollment management.

Jaschik says admissions officers have yet to breathe a sigh of relief.

“For a lot of them, they’re not done. They’re still playing with the wait list. There’s a lot of nervousness about summer melt,” he said. “So many of the folks I’m talking to are saying it’s not over until the students are on campus in September.”

By that time, colleges and universities will already be focused on their next hurdle: attracting the freshman class for 2010.The class of 2013

Here’s a look at how the current economic downturn is affecting colleges and universities across Rhode Island. (Bryant University did not provide information for this survey. Brown University Cost*: $49,000 a year. Expected number of freshman: 1,485 (Same as 2008) Financial aid: Increased by $7 million To deal with the downturn: Allowing students to enroll before paying bill. Johnson & Wales University Cost*: $34,000 Expected number of freshmen: 2,900 (100 fewer than in 2008.) Financial aid: Increased by $11 million To deal with the downturn: Major boost in financial aid Providence College Cost*: $45,000 Expected number of freshmen: 979 (30 fewer than in 2008) Financial aid: Increased by $4 million To dead with the downturn: The college’s president is sending a letter to parents of prospective students Rhode Island College Cost*: $15,400 Expected number of freshmen: 1,195. (118 more than in 2008) Financial aid: No change from 2008 To deal with the downturn: Expanding its regional discount in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Rhode Island School of Design Cost*: $47,000 Expected number of freshmen: 440 (Same as 2008) Financial aid: $1 milllion increase To deal with the downturn: No special strategy Roger Williams University Cost*: $40,000 Expected number of freshmen: 1,160 (40 more than in 2008) Financial aid: : $3 million increase To deal with the downturn: Accepting students it might have rejected in the past Salve Regina University Cost*: $40,000 Expected size of freshman class: 325 (25 fewer than in 2008) Financial aid: $1 million increase To deal with the downturn: Reducing size of freshman class University of Rhode Island Cost*: $20,000 Expected size of freshman class: 3,280 (38 fewer than in 2008) Financial aid: $2 million increase To deal with the downturn: Adding a extra day for prospective students to visit the campus * Cost includes average tuition, fees, and room and board.

jjordan@projo.com