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Central Valley state universities see boom in enrollment
Stockton
October 12, 2007 12:02AM
• Records set at Fresno State, Sacramento State, CSU Stanislaus, and Chico State
• UC Merced sees higher numbers
If the Central Valley campuses of the California State University system seem a bit crowded this fall, there’s good reason. Almost all of the CSU campuses are entering the new academic year with record enrollments. And the region’s newest campus, the University of California, Merced, has more than 1,800 students enrolled for its third year in existence.
Fresno State says there are 22,388 students enrolled this fall, a school record. About 85 percent of the students are attending full time. The fall enrollment is up about 2.5 percent from fall 2006.
California State University, Sacramento, says it also has an all-time high enrollment at 28,845 students enrolled – about 300 more than a year ago.
California State University, Stanislaus, also has record enrollment, with the number of students passing 8,800 for the first time. Final official enrollment data for the fall 2007 semester shows CSU Stanislaus numbers increased 5.5 percent to 8,836 students, including a 5.8 percent jump to a new mark of 6,640 “full-time equivalent" students who are taking full class loads. A 9 percent increase to 1,100 students at the University's Stockton Center contributed to the record-setting numbers.
Chico State has seen fall enrollment jump by 784 students to a record 17,034.
The only Central Valley state university to see a decrease is California State University, Bakersfield. Fall enrollment is estimated at 7,689, compared to 7,717 a year ago. The figures include fulltime and part-time students as well as enrollment at both the main campus in Bakersfield and CSUB’s satellite campus in the Antelope Valley. But CSUB says if you look at fulltime students – those taking 15 credit hours or more – enrollment is actually up to 6,750 from last year’s 6,719.
As the third academic year begins at the University of California, Merced, student enrollment has jumped sharply, with about 31 percent more students attending the newest UC campus this fall than last fall. University officials say 837 new students have enrolled for first-semester classes, which began Aug. 27. The total number of new students includes 669 freshmen, 116 transfer students and 52 graduate students. The total number of students enrolled in classes this semester is 1,871. Campus officials originally estimated 1,850 students. “We’re very pleased with this fall’s numbers,” says UC Merced Chancellor Steve Kang. “It’s exciting to see so many students from all over the state – actually all over the world – choosing to join us as we continue to build this university.”
Source: Reprint from http://www.centralvalleybusinesstimes.com/
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