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Case Study: Budget Spreadsheet
Fortis College Analysis
Fortis College Columbia is a post-secondary education college located in Columbia,
South Carolina. Many of its programs are career-based and are intended to provide students with
knowledge and skills that would enable them to be employment-ready. In this review, financial
and enrollment data for Fortis College Columbia for the last three years have been analyzed in
terms of the institution’s performance in relation to the state and national levels. The
recommendations, therefore, are to develop an understanding of the college’s financial position
and organizational efficiency within various spheres that require reinforcement or could be
further developed (Rao et al., 2021).
Patterns identified in the data that can be related to Fortis College Columbia
The overall number of credit students has a tendency to increase, which illustrates a
progressive public response to the offered programs of the College. This trend is positive since it
illustrates the college’s capacity to enroll and retain students. Graduate enrollment has remained
almost constant, an indication of a continuous market for the institution’s postgraduate courses.
Comparison to State and National Trends
The enrollment trends at Fortis College Columbia are in harmony with state as well as
national trends. Consequently, the pattern of the college’s undergraduate enrollment rate rises
progressively, as has been witnessed in other colleges across the state and in the country. Such
alignment points to the fact that Fortis College is viable and responsive to the market and
potential students. Huge graduate enrollment at Fortis is also a national trend because enrollment
in graduate programs is always at a slower pace as compared to undergraduate programs.
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Case Study: Budget Spreadsheet
Total undergraduate enrollment
Total graduate enrollment
Total in-state enrollment
Total out-of-state enrollment
Student loan default rate
Student borrowing
Core revenues per student FTE
Core expenses per student FTE by function
Total state support for higher education
Total federal support for higher education
-20000000%
20000000%
60000000%
100000000%
140000000%
2021/2022
Chart Title
2021/2022 2022/2023
Observations
In the evaluation of Fortis College Columbia, several positive trends emerge in the
analysis. The continued rise in the number of undergraduate students also ensures that the
institution, as well as the program, is popular and useful. Besides, it is revealed that the trend of
the student loan default rate has gone down, which implies that graduates can secure jobs and be
financially stable after graduation (Rao et al., 2021). Higher spending on student services and
academic support is also another positive development since this goes a long way in enhancing
the retention and graduation status of the students.
There are, however, some negative trends that, on their own, deserve attention. Even
though they are showing that there has been an increment in the amount spent per student FTE,
which is an aspect indicating investment in quality, the rising figures have to be well controlled
to ensure the institution is not financially stretched or pass high costs to students in the form of
tuition fees that may deter many from pursuing their studies (Rao et al., 2021).
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Case Study: Budget Spreadsheet
Insights and recommendations
The following recommendations could be made to help improve Fortis College
Columbia’s performance and sustainability after the analysis is made: Firstly, it implies that the
college should maintain and improve these recruitment efforts based on the factors that led to the
increase in the enrollment of undergraduate and out-of-state students. It can be argued that
increasing marketing presence will help to enroll more students who are outside the state,
consequently increasing the new population of students.
Collectively, Columbia’s Fortis College enrollment predicts certain trends of growth and
steady financial standing suitable to the state and the nation as well. Through the strategic
emphasis on recruitment, financial resources, management of resources, and utilization of the
funds, the institution can go on expanding its course and delivering good-quality education to
students.
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Case Study: Budget Spreadsheet
Reference
Rao, L., Ontiveros, J., Yonkoski, J., Wauthy, J., & Holt, P. (2021). Energy Master Planning for
Resilient Public Communities--Best Practices from North American Universities. |
ASHRAE Transactions | EBSCOhost.?Ebsco.com,?127(1), 660. https://doi.org/%22
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