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09/21/2010 -- UND final fourth-week number shatters all-time enrollment mark
The University of North Dakota is recording an all-time high number of students at 14,194, based on a final fourth-week enrollment tally, according to Dr. Suzanne Anderson, UND Registrar. The total is up 1,022 students, or 7.8 percent, from last year's final count of 13,172. The previous enrollment record at UND was 13,187 in the fall of 2004.
Leading the way in percentage increase this year was The Graduate School with a 14-percent surge in its fall enrollment over last year, from 2,248 students to 2,560 students now. UND also is showing an increase in undergraduates, with 11,139 students, up from 10,440 last fall.
"We are extremely pleased by the positive trends we see at all levels of the University when it comes to enrollment growth, from new freshman to transfer students to the graduate and professional level," said UND President Robert Kelley. "It is one indication that students around the region not only want to come to UND but they like what they see when they get here."
The fourth week number is considered the "official enrollment" for the year, but in reality, it is a snapshot only of the students registered on the first day of the fourth week of school. UND typically enrolls an additional 2,000 or so degree-seeking students throughout the remainder of the year. The number also doesn't include some students trained by the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences through UND's partnerships across the United States and with other countries.
UND continues to post strong numbers in the area of continuing education and distance learning. About 1,788 students, or about 12.5 percent of UND's total enrollment, are taking classes exclusively online. This number does not include students who take online classes through UND space studies, aviation, clinical lab science or other online/off-campus programs that are not facilitated directly by UND's Division of Continuing Education.
On top of all that, the Division of Continuing Education serves more than 13,000 people who participate in professional continuing education through various non-credit courses, workshops, conferences, and other professional development activities. UND, which already offers more than 45 degree and certificate programs off campus, continues to make great strides in expanding its distance education opportunities.
This year's fall enrollment figures also show a 5 percent increase in new freshman over last year and a 9 percent increase in transfer students.
"Our enrollment for this fall is very gratifying for two reasons," said Robert Boyd, UND vice president for students affairs, "First, it is a clear indication that a large number of students view the University of North Dakota as a place that meets their desire for a quality education. Second, the record enrollment is a huge compliment to all of the units on campus that work very hard to recruit and retain an outstanding student body."
UND's strong graduate-level growth is good news for the University, said Kelley, as it's consistent with UND’s Strategic Plan, which states that graduate students will represent 20 percent of UND’s student body. The increase in graduate students, particularly at the doctoral level, also has a significant impact as UND works to increase its research enterprise. UND's sponsored programs and research is expected to be about $140 million in fiscal year 2010, up $40 million from just two years ago.
The Graduate School's enrollment is up 1,078 students from the 2000-01 academic year, about the time when Joey Benoit, current dean of The Graduate School, joined UND. Benoit said this year had the single-greatest increase in enrollment in a consecutive year since the beginning of The Graduate School at UND.
"I am extremely excited about the number of highly qualified students who have chosen to study in our programs," Benoit said. "The enrollment growth observed this fall reflects our efforts to increase the depth of our applicant pool and breadth of our reach. Graduate programs at UND are now attracting students from all parts of the world. Programs are becoming more selective and the academic qualifications of our student body is becoming stronger. Students accessing our online programs know that the online graduate programs are equivalent to our campus-based programs. To this end, the accessibility to an advanced degree from the University of North Dakota has increased."
Benoit said UND Graduate School recruiters are out in places where UND wasn't recruiting 10 years ago. He said not only is the applicant pool for graduate students greater now at UND, but so too is the number of quality applicants that want to come to UND. And they are the kind of students UND graduate programs want to come here.
"We are beginning to see UND become a destination school for graduate students," Benoit said. "It is starting to become a first choice for them."
Prospective graduate student interest has increased in a number of UND programs including physical therapy, space studies, business, chemical engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, nursing, clinical psychology, counseling psychology, computer science, educational leadership and English.
"The diversity of inquiries is not surprising given that The Graduate School offers more opportunities in more fields and more options for graduate study than any other institution between Minneapolis and Seattle," Benoit said.
Apart from The Graduate School, UND is seeing particular growth at the undergrad level at the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences, with a nearly 18 percent increase over last year. Also, the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, The School of Engineering and Mines and Arts & Sciences all saw marked enrollment increases compared to last fall.
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