UW Full

Full-time and on-campus student enrollment at the University of Wyoming has held steady for the spring 2016 semester, with significant increases in the number of freshmen and hours of instruction through the Outreach School.

The university’s overall enrollment on the 15th day of classes, 12,341, is down 286 students from the 2015 spring semester, largely due to a drop in the number of part-time students.

The 15th class day is used because it falls after the class drop/add deadlines, and after the first tuition and fee payment is due.

“The overall figure may be down, but there are some encouraging numbers in this preliminary enrollment report,” says Sara Axelson, UW vice president for student affairs. “We are making progress on a number of fronts, and some key indicators give reason for optimism that our recruitment and retention efforts are paying off.”

The number of first-time freshmen returning for the spring semester increased to 1,525, up 94 from the previous year, and those students are succeeding at higher rates. The first-time freshman UW cumulative grade-point average after the fall semester is 2.83, up from 2.69 last year, and the percentage of first-time freshmen on academic probation has dropped from 21.1 percent to 17 percent.

“We believe the university’s efforts to provide more tutoring help for students -- in addition to early interventions for struggling students -- are making a difference,” Axelson says.

While the number of Outreach School students decreased 8.7 percent to 2,660, the number of outreach hours of instruction increased by 389 to 28,651. Those numbers are expected to grow after all Outreach School numbers are recorded this semester.

Enrollment of full-time students (9,096) and students on the Laramie campus (9,681) held stable, the former increasing by seven and the latter decreasing by 31. The number of part-time students decreased by 293 to 3,245 students.

Other highlights from the spring 2016 enrollment report:

-- The number of racial and ethnic minority students increased by 103, or 7.5 percent, to total 1,472. They now comprise 11.9 percent of the student body.

-- The number of international students decreased by 25, or 3 percent, to 809 students.

-- UW’s six-year graduation rate increased from 53.8 percent to 55.2 percent.

-- Of the freshmen enrolled in the fall 2015 semester, 91.1 percent returned for the spring semester, consistent with UW’s five-year rolling average.

-- Women comprise 52.4 percent of total enrollment, men 47.6 percent.