Enrollment increases by 9,500 students

SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) announced Friday that its enrollment numbers for Spring 2009 increased by 9,548 total students from Spring 2008, an increase of 7.42%.
“The year-to-year increase in Spring 2009 is consistent with the growth we experienced in Fall 2008,” Commissioner of Higher Education William Sederburg stated, “We expect a continuing growth trajectory in higher education for the 2009-2010 academic year.”
“Our universities and colleges play a critical role in the economic vitality of our state. When job opportunities lessen, people return to college for more education or training.” continued Sederburg. “We are working closely with the Governor, his staff, and lawmakers to ensure the State’s continuing investment in our institutions.”
The budget-related full-time equivalent (FTE) students, which approximates the number of students enrolled full-time (15 semester hours for undergraduate students and 10 semester hours for graduate students) per semester, also increased significantly by 4,695 FTE system-wide, this figure is used by USHE in seeking state-supported funding for higher education (see attached table).
“Increased enrollments at our institutions further compounds the challenges our presidents face in a time of proposed double-digit budget cuts,” Commissioner Sederburg stated, “There is serious concern as we plan for the 2009-2010 academic year. Students who are prepared and eager will be unable to enroll simply because course offerings will have to be reduced.”
“In terms of headcount, we are seeing tremendous growth. However, these figures do not even account for the additional enrollment growth we are experiencing among the non-credit course offerings that service another 20,000+ individuals at Salt Lake Community College, “observed Cynthia Bioteau, President of Salt Lake Community College, “This system-wide growth highlights the critical role higher education in Utah plays in assisting our citizens in re-tooling and transforming their skills to increase their marketability in a challenging marketplace.”
The Utah System of Higher Education includes nine of its 10 public colleges and universities in its enrollment summary: The University of Utah, Utah State University, Weber State University, Southern Utah University, Snow College, Dixie State College, College of Eastern Utah, Utah Valley University and Salt Lake Community College. Numbers for the Utah College of Applied Technology are calculated differently and reported separately.