Tag Archives: utep enrollment

Officials with The University of Texas at El Paso announced Thursday that for the 20^th consecutive year, enrollment at university has increased.

Fall enrollment figures for the 2018-19 academic year hit a new record of 25,151, compared with last year’s all-time high of 25,078 students.

“While it’s a smaller increase than in previous years, we are always excited to see enrollment go up,” said Gary Edens, Ed.D., vice president for student affairs. “The University had a record number of close to 5,000 students graduate during the 2017-18 academic year, and when that many students earn degrees, we know that it takes time to replenish.”

To date, UTEP has awarded more than 4,830 degrees for the 2017-18 academic year, a nearly 7 percent increase compared with 2016-17.

Edens added that when the economy is doing well and unemployment is low, students tend to work instead of going to school.

“In the enrollment world, professionals know that a strong economy and low unemployment tends to mean that students delay their education so that they can work and earn money,” Edens said.

Despite these factors, UTEP continues to attract more new students each year and retain those who are already enrolled. The student retention rate, a measure of how many students return to the University from one term to another, is 82.9 percent from spring to fall 2018, the highest since the historical high from spring to fall 2010 (83.3 percent).

Edens said the academic quality and the opportunities available for UTEP students, from undergraduate research to student employment, community engagement, leadership opportunities and study abroad experiences, help draw students to the University. The hard work of the faculty and academic advisers to make sure students progress successfully toward their degrees help keep them enrolled.

“We remain committed to providing the talented students of our region with an affordable education and the academic experience of a national research university,” he said.

The University of Texas at El Paso has recorded the highest-ever spring enrollment. The student population for the spring 2018 semester has reached 23,606, a 3.6 percent overall increase compared to the Spring 2017 semester.

The increase is the highest percent increase in a spring semester since 2011.

“We are excited to see continuing enrollment growth at UTEP,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Gary Edens, Ed.D. “Especially encouraging is the 7.2 percent increase among sophomores, which we credit to some of our newest retention efforts, in particular the UTEP Edge.”

The UTEP Edge, a cross-campus culture of student success and empowerment, develops students’ existing assets through high-impact experiences including undergraduate research, civic engagement, study abroad and student employment.

“We are especially thankful to the faculty and staff who work so hard to mentor and support our students and their dream of a university degree,” Edens said.

The University of Texas at El Paso experienced a significant increase in total enrollment for the 2017-18 academic year, jumping from 23,922 students in fall 2016 to an all-time high of 25,078.

“The fact that UTEP’s enrollment has continued to increase year after year is strong validation of the value students see in the University’s access and excellence model,” said UTEP President Diana Natalicio.

“Students know that they can get a high-quality education and have special experiences at UTEP that are equal to or better than the opportunities available at other national research universities, and at a fraction of the cost. Moreover, our persistence rate shows that we walk the talk – once students enroll here, they stay,” Dr. Natalicio added.

In a climate of decreased education funding and falling enrollment at many institutions, UTEP’s enrollment increased for the 19^th consecutive year.

The 4.8 percent increase is the largest at the University since the fall of 2010.

UTEP Vice President for Student Affairs Gary Edens, Ed.D., credits retention efforts with contributing to the trend of increased enrollment. He said the hard work of the faculty and academic advisers has helped make sure students are moving successfully toward their degrees.

In addition, Edens believes students recognize the value of a UTEP education.

“The academic quality and student life opportunities UTEP offers are exactly what students are looking for,” Edens said. “Our commitment to keep tuition low enables our students to attend a school of the highest quality and graduate with comparable skills and knowledge to their peers in more affluent communities.”

Edens believes efforts like the University’s new student success initiative – the UTEP Edge – will continue to improve student retention. The UTEP Edge fosters lifelong success for every student by way of dedicated curricular and co-curricular programming that encourages students to develop their talents and strengths through a variety of high-impact experiences created and delivered by faculty, staff, alumni and community partners.

Ranging from undergraduate research and civic engagement to study abroad and on-campus student employment, these experiences increase confidence, enhance personal and professional skills, and equip students with a competitive advantage – a UTEP Edge — when they graduate and enter the workforce or pursue a graduate degree. Learn more at utep.edu/edge.