Enrollment numbers fell in 2008
In the economy, growth is defined as two or more consecutive quarters of increase. Upon the release of fall enrollment statistics, it seems that this same definition applies to USU.
USU is at its second highest enrollment in the history of the school, second only to last year which marked an all-time high. Enrollment at all USU campuses, including distance education, is at 23,925 compared to fall of 2007 at 24,421, bringing enrollment down by 1 percent. This is still considered an increase compared to the period between 2002-2005 when enrollment hovered close to 23,000 according to the 2008 Fall Enrollment report.
The decrease in enrollment, the loss of about 500 students, is caused by fewer high school students taking concurrent enrollment classes through the university, said Raymond T. Coward, USU’s executive vice president and provost.
“These students are extremely part-time, taking only one or two classes through the university,” Coward said. “If we had lost 500 full-time students we would have more reason to be concerned.”
Although enrollment overall decreased, different populations within the university saw a major increase, namely transfer, minority and graduate students. Coward said he owes the increase to being “aggressive in telling (USU’s) story. We go to high schools, have open houses, and do tours to get our story out there.”
According to the enrollment report, USU has students from 90 countries.
“Approximately one in seven students at USU is either an international student or a student from an underrepresented minority group,” Coward said.
Coward said there has been an increase in every minority group at USU.
“It’s incredible that enrollment within minority groups is up by 20 percent, but I think what’s even more amazing is that it is up in all categories,” he said. “Our Hispanic population is up by 16.5 percent, Asian by 10.9 percent and our African American population is up by 15.2 percent.”
Coward said not only are there a number of countries represented at USU, but there are also a number of students from out of state, representing 20 percent of USU’s population. This percentage represents 80 percent of the nation’s states, Coward said. USU appeals to these students by having open houses around the nation. Recruiting and admissions is currently under way with such projects by having open houses in Idaho. They will be in Wyoming, Arizona, California and surrounding states within the coming months, he said.
Utah State has also seen an increase in graduate students. USU offers 128 different graduate degree programs, said Byron Burnham, dean of graduate studies. USU welcomed 700 new graduate students this fall, making a 12.2 percent increase, the enrollment report stated. This encompasses all graduate students including those seeking master’s and doctorate degrees.
All of USU’s campuses greeted nearly 5,500 new students, Coward said. Three thousand of these students were incoming undergraduate students. These incoming freshmen were just 1 percent away in their academic standards from being the university’s best class, Coward said.
“This is the second best incoming class in the history of Utah State,” Coward said.
Coward said with such an academically strong freshmen class, unlike other universities, USU can boast about upholding a specific academic paradigm.
“We have been able to make improvements at Utah State without having to compromise,” Coward said. “We have been able to maintain our academic standards and have an increase in enrollment.”
With the decrease in enrollment being based off such an obscure population of high school students, who are considered non-traditional, the future of enrollment at USU looks promising, Coward said. He said he attributes this to the quality of education USU provides.
“I think that we have a great story to tell,” Coward said. “We are a residential university, we have world-class scholars, we are one of the leading research universities in the nation and our tuition is very reasonable. I think that the increase in our enrollment just reflects that we’ve been successful in telling that story.”
–beck.turner@aggiemail.usu.edu
Fast Stats
• 23,925 students enrolled this year
• 300 new first-time undergraduates
• 700 new graduate students
• 1,500 new transfer students
• 1 in 5 students is from out of state representing 80 percent of the states
• 1 in 7 students is either an international student or from an underrepresented minority group representing 90 countries