Dive Brief:

• A competition created by the Iowa Board of Regents for state universities to enroll more Iowa residents may end up shutting down private colleges in the state.
• The regents have tied state funding for the public schools to their in-state student enrollment, forcing the University of Iowa into a marketing and recruitment blitz, along with generous financial aid offers, to attract state residents.
• Private college presidents are worried that the recruiting will lead to their own steep enrollment declines, Inside Higher Ed reported.

Dive Insight:

At stake for the University of Iowa is up to $60 million in state funding that it could lose over the next several years if it can’t boost its in-state enrollment dramatically. Now, 14,000 of its 30,000 students are from outside the state. Community colleges are also worried their enrollment numbers will suffer from the new aggressive recruitment tactics. If the recruiting is disruptive and shuts down some private colleges, the attitude of the regents' executive director Bob Donley seems to be “that’s just tough,” according to Inside Higher Ed.