The University of Colorado at Boulder has enrolled its largest freshman class ever this fall with 4,281 first-year students entering campus, contributing to a total enrollment of 25,125.
The total is up slightly from fall 1997 enrollment of 25,109.
The enrollment increase continues a trend of planned, moderate increases on the Boulder campus since 1995, when total enrollment was 24,440, according to Lou McClelland, director of institutional analysis. ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-Boulder's highest ever enrollment was 25,571 in 1991.
"We are pleased to see the continuing popularity of the Boulder campus as evidenced by this record-breaking freshman class," said Gary Kelsey, director of admissions.
The number of resident undergraduate students for fall 1998 is 13,743 compared to the all-time high 13,842 in fall 1997. Undergraduate non-residents this fall will number 6,852 compared to 6,595 in fall 1997; their previous high was 7,052 in 1992.
The figures fall well within the three-year average ratio mandated by the state legislature, which requires an overall resident population of two-thirds of total enrollment for each fiscal year.
This year Colorado students will make up 67.8 percent of total enrollment on the Boulder campus.
For 1998, non-resident undergraduate tuition increased 3 percent to $14,868 per year, while resident undergraduate tuition increased 1 percent to $2,386 per year.
Total undergraduate enrollment is 20,595 this year, compared to 20,437 in fall 1997. Graduate enrollment is down this fall to 4,530 from 4,672 in fall 1997. A strong Colorado economy and one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation may have affected graduate enrollment, luring students into the workplace.
The downturn in Asian economies also has influenced overall enrollment somewhat, a factor felt at most Colorado schools, McClelland said. Total enrollment from Malaysia, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia at ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä-Boulder this fall is 217 compared to 252 in fall 1997.
That decrease, however, is smaller than originally feared, according to Jean Delaney, director of International Education. This is due in part to university and private financial support, especially from IOmega, a data storage company that does business in Malaysia.
Minority enrollment is down slightly to 3,357 for fall 1998 from 3,400 in fall 1997, a drop of 43 students or 1.3 percent. In a breakdown of total minority enrollment by ethnic group, all groups showed a drop except American Indian students, who increased 10 percent to 205 this fall from 184 in fall 1997.
"We are very excited about the increase in American Indian students, although we're concerned about the slight decline of our overall minority numbers," Kelsey said.
Minority students comprise 13.4 percent of the total student body this fall compared to 13.5 percent of the total in fall 1997, McClelland said.
Freshman minority enrollment is up over fall 1997 for Asian Americans and American Indian students but down for African American and Hispanic-Latino freshman students.
Both McClelland and Kelsey said the drop in minority students is a major concern for the campus. "We will be analyzing this year's enrollment data now that the figures are in so we can improve efforts to attract more minority students," Kelsey said.