CEU, USU and Weber all decline
It was predicted earlier in the year that enrollment in Utah’s higher education institutions would go up compared to fall semester 2003. There was hoped to be a nearly three percent increase in full-time students attending the nine public colleges in the state.
The estimates were wrong, the rate of students is pretty much flat. According to the state Board of Regents, the increase was less than one percent (0.82) over all.
This archived article was written by: Heather Myers
It was predicted earlier in the year that enrollment in Utah’s higher education institutions would go up compared to fall semester 2003. There was hoped to be a nearly three percent increase in full-time students attending the nine public colleges in the state.
The estimates were wrong, the rate of students is pretty much flat. According to the state Board of Regents, the increase was less than one percent (0.82) over all.
The number of students enrolled in all of the schools went from 99,250 last fall semester to 100,067 this semester. That is only an increase of 817 students. There are also only 44,770 students enrolled part time. Right now the University of Utah has the most students with 23,967 and College of Eastern Utah has the least with 1,870.
Six of the schools did have increases in full time enrollment (that is undergraduate students with 12 or more credit hours and graduate students with nine or more.) Southern Utah University had an increase of 6.36 percent while Utah Valley State College had only a 0.17 percent increase. That is only 27 more students than last year. Salt Lake Community College had an increase of about 17 students. University jumped about 2.3 percent. Snow College gained 60 students and Dixie gained about 90.
The other three colleges have had declines in the number of students. Utah State University had a decline of 0.12 percent or 21 students. Weber State University had a decrease of 2.74 percent and College of Eastern Utah had a decrease of 1.68 percent or 32 students.
At the beginning of the year, CEU was projecting an increase of 12 percent, however on the first day of classes there was only a 1.6 percent increase. By the time the final numbers they had gone down from, not only the first day, but from last year.
Todd Olsen, director of scholarships and admissions, had no comment on the statistics.
