Led by a record freshman class, total enrollment at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs is 7,960 this fall, a 4 percent increase from 2007, according to figures compiled by the Office of Admissions and Records.
This year, there are 1,157 new freshmen at UCCS, an increase of 144 students or 14 percent, from last year. Overall undergraduate enrollment increased to 6,494, a 269 student or 4 percent increase from 2007. Graduate enrollment increased to 1,466, a 29 student or 2 percent increase from 2007. The overall UCCS enrollment of 7,960 is the largest in campus history.
“I am deeply appreciative of the work by faculty and staff to recruit and retain students to our campus,” Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak said. “Our enrollment is a record but perhaps just as important is our retention of students from the freshman to sophomore year, putting them on track to graduate and to realize their potential as educated members of our broader community.”
Retention of freshman students increased to 70 percent this year, a record for the campus. Shockley-Zalabak attributed improved retention to innovations such as the Freshman Seminar program as well as outreach and intervention efforts guided by the Office of Student Retention and First Year Experience.
The office has renewed contact with students and also has encouraged faculty and staff to assist in helping students with personal and academic challenges that might cause them to quit school.
Enrollment of students who self-identify as a member of an ethnic minority group increased to 1,450, a 61 student or 4 percent increase from last year. Ethnic minority students are now 18 percent of all students and 19 percent of the undergraduate student body.
The campus also saw increases in the number of men who enrolled. Of the 298 student increase from a year ago, 240 new students were men. Men now account for 43 percent of the campus enrollment.
In a summary of student credit hours, UCCS students enrolled in 91,426 credit hours, a 4.7 percent increase from last year, according to the Office of Admissions and Records. Student credit hours are determined by the number of students on campus and the number of courses selected. On average, UCCS students enrolled in 11.5 credit hours, a slight increase from last year and continuing the trend of recent years.
UCCS, located on Austin Bluffs Parkway in northeast Colorado Springs, is the fastest growing university in Colorado, and one of the fastest growing universities in the nation. The University offers 30 bachelor’s degrees, 18 masters’, and four doctoral degrees. The campus enrolls about 8,000 students annually.