Keep in mind that many of these “First Year” engineering programs are not primarily about managing enrollment, but about better preparing students for engineering. The goal is to reduce attrition, not increase it. This is also a method of improving academic support for freshman, but having them work with dedicated “engineering” advisers.
Over the years, there has been a movement to improve engineering education. These first year programs sprung from these efforts, as have several other programs that target low SES students, minorities, women in engineering, etc. In fact, you find that several schools (UT-Austin, UWash, UF, Tufts, Northwestern,…) have started “Center for Engineering Education” that research these issues.
A student should consider how competitive their chosen major is at a prospective school, but these “programs” should really be seen as a positive.