Enrollment at UW increased this semester, particularly on the Laramie campus.
With 12,627 students enrolled UW has 162 more students than the 2014 spring semester. These numbers are expected to increase further after all UW Outreach School enrollment numbers are recorded. The total number of students on the Laramie campus increased from last spring semester by 187 to 9,712 . UW Vice President for Student Affairs Sara Axelson said spring enrollment is not an indicator of overall growth, and that UW has the means to take on more students.
“We want to increase enrollment,” Axelson said. “We certainly have the capacity.”
Axelson also said the increased fall-to-spring retention rate for freshman, from 90.2 percent to 92.1 percent, is particularly important, and implementation of new programs to assist freshmen , like the STEP and Early Alert programs, are helping.
The STEP Tutoring Center opened last spring and offers tutoring and supplemental instruction in the library. While STEP is intended for all students, Axelson said it could help boost retention rates for freshmen by helping them accomplish academic goals and encourage them to set new ones. Early Alert is an early intervention initiative connecting students having difficulties with support to help them complete educational goals. Axelson said these programs were instrumental in raising the freshman fall-to-spring retention rate.
“We want everyone who walks on to campus to succeed,” Axelson said.
UW Director of Admissions Shelley Dodd said involvement is imperative for student retention.
“We want them to find that connection that makes them feel that they belong and can accomplish their academic goals,” Dodd said.
As for enrolling new students, Dodd said the multifaceted nature of the admissions staff helped increase numbers. Dodd said the different admissions components, including traveling recruiters, campus touring and visits, and efficient processing make the admissions staff proactive in introducing prospective students and their parents to UW.
“We have a fantastic admissions staff,” Dodd said.
Other highpoints of the spring enrollment analysis include an increase in the number of racial and ethnic minorities of 113, up from 1,369 in spring 2014, as well as an increase in the number of international students by 59 for a total of 834. The College of Engineering and Applied Science received the largest enrollment increase, with 152 new students enrolling.
