SIUE Spring Enrollment Climbs to Record High
Edwardsville, Ill. (PRWEB) February 02, 2015 -- Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s spring 2015 semester has grown by 300 students from spring 2014 and full-time spring enrollment has reached an all-time high.
With 10,153 full-time and 13,178 total students enrolled, this is the best spring enrollment picture on record for the institution. The increase over last year is based on several factors including a two percent increase in continuing undergraduates, a 12 percent increase in international enrollment, a 75 percent increase in online and off-campus enrollment and a 40 percent increase in new spring transfer students.
“It is an impressive effort by our enrollment, advising and marketing staff’s ability to work with both faculty and the entire campus community to successfully compete in the current higher education marketplace,” said SIUE Chancellor Julie Furst-Bowe. “SIUE’s academic quality and affordability continues to be attractive to prospective students and their families.”
The undergraduate programs experiencing the most growth over last year include nursing (+18.3 percent / 178 students), engineering (+15.7 percent / 181 students), entrepreneurship (+42.9 percent / 9 students), chemistry (+10.7 percent / 13 students) and special education (+25.5 percent / 14 students).
The largest growth among graduate programs includes environmental science (+26.9 percent / 7 students), computer management and information systems (+21.7 percent / 5 students), college student personnel (new program with 22 students) and civil engineering (+29.6 percent / 13 students).
“Enrollment was up 132 students for fall 2014, so we anticipated a corresponding increase for spring,” said Scott Belobrajdic, associate vice chancellor for enrollment management. “It appears that our traditional retention efforts as well as new initiatives to recruit international students and offer online programs are having early success.
“Our deans have developed several entrepreneurial collaborations with corporate and educational partners, which serve the region and increase enrollment. All areas of the University have made contributions to this semester’s increase, and that includes the registrar’s office, student financial aid and our advising staff.”
The institution continues its drive toward a more diverse campus community with record spring enrollment for African American (1,736 total students) and Latino students (481 total students) as well as the 12 percent increase in international enrollment (403 total students) over spring 2014.
Interest for fall 2015 is also at a record pace according to Director of Admission Todd Burrell, who reports a record number of applications and admitted students for August.
“It is still early in the process,” said Burrell. “But enrollment deposits are up five percent compared to last year. Meanwhile, the new freshman class has an average ACT of 24.1. The diversity and quality of the class both continue to grow, and we expect this spring’s positive momentum to carry over into the fall.”
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of nearly 14,000.
Doug McIlhagga, Southern IL University Edwardsville, http://www.siue.edu, +1 (618) 650-5600, [email protected]
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