Fall enrollment at the University of Wyoming is up about 3.6 percent, bolstered by a significant increase in new transfer students.
Showing continued steady growth at both the Laramie campus and the UW Outreach School, total enrollment on the 15th day of classes was 12,538 students, with 10,330 on the Laramie campus, an increase of 331 from the previous fall semester. Outreach enrollment was 2,208, up 108 from last year. UW officials expect the final figure will be around 13,000 students after all Outreach School enrollments are recorded.
New freshmen enrollment was down slightly from the 2008 fall semester that saw the largest freshman class ever enrolled at UW. Even so, there were 1,595 new freshmen enrolled, including 910 from Wyoming.
The number of new transfer students increased to 1,097. Sara Axelson, vice president for student affairs, attributes some of the strong freshman enrollment and transfer student growth to the success of the Hathaway Scholarship program, available to Wyoming high school graduates who attend UW or a Wyoming community college. This fall, there are 252 new transfer students supported by the Hathaway Scholarship.
"We are now seeing the results of students who have attended a community college for two years, and are continuing their education at UW with Hathaway Scholarship support," Axelson says.
She noted that international student enrollment increased by 19 percent to 641 students, marking a large increase for the second consecutive year. Undergraduate international students increased by 45 students to 306; graduate and professional students increased by 57 students to 335.
Among other highlights of this fall's UW enrollment:
-- Wyoming resident enrollment stayed constant at 9,017, 72 percent of the UW student
population.
-- Undergraduate enrollment at UW increased by 277 students from fall semester of
2008 to 9,734 students.
-- Graduate and professional enrollment at UW increased by 212 students to 2,804 from
fall 2008.
-- Graduate and professional degree-seeking student enrollment increased by 121 students
to 2,279. Non-degree graduate students increased by 91 students to 525 students.
-- Undergraduate enrollment in the Outreach School stayed stable with 1,302 students
and graduate and non-degree student enrollment increased by 110 students to 906 students.