SCSU Today

Enrollment continues steady growth

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Fall enrollment at St. Cloud State compared to fall 2007-08 is up approximately 1 percent for total enrollment of 16,921. Increases were seen in nearly every category, including students of color, international students, new freshmen and graduate students.

Retention also is up. The fall 2007 cohort of new freshmen returned for their second year at a rate 1.2 percent above the previous cohort. The university expects retention rates will continue to grow as a result of a nationally recognized retention instrument being piloted this fall. The strengths and challenges facing approximately 500 new freshmen will be identified early on so that enhanced support services can be provided as early as possible in the students’ college experience.

The 413 new students of color this fall (approximately 17 percent ahead of fall 2007), brought their total enrollment to 7.8 percent of the student body. Since fall 2000, student of color enrollment has increased 141 percent.

Increases in other categories compared to last year are:

• 2,403 new entering freshmen, up 1 percent;
  
• 1.4 percent increase in graduate student enrollment, bringing to 10.4 percent their share of the total student body;
  
• 10.3 percent increase in the total number of international students, bringing their total enrollment to 1,166 or 6.9 percent of the overall St. Cloud State student body.

Graduation rates also are up. The average four-, five- and six-year graduation rate for the freshman cohort of 2002 is 2.4 percent above that of the 2001 cohort.

Total enrollment will actually exceed 17,150 this fall, as students in the “senior to sophomore” program, which has students earning college credits while in high school, are still enrolling.

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