Strong retention rates lead to record spring enrollment

Student enrollment for the spring 2014 semester increased by more than 7 percent from a year ago, thanks in part to improved student retention.

Homer Wesley

Homer Wesley, vice chancellor of Student Success and Enrollment Management, on Feb. 11 announced that 10,129 students enrolled for the spring semester, a 695 student or 7.4 percent increase from the 9,434 students who enrolled last year. Student credit hours – the number of students multiplied by the number of courses in which they enrolled – also increased. For spring 2014, UCCS students generated 116,497 credit hours, a 6,773 hour increase or 6.2 percent from 109,724 credit hours in spring 2013.

Wesley thanked faculty and staff for making the increase possible and noted that 90 percent of full-time freshmen students who started in the fall semester continued to spring.

“I am pleased that a record enrollment of students in the fall is continuing to the spring semester,” Wesley said. “We can all celebrate in the progress of students toward the goal of earning a degree.”

All UCCS colleges reported enrollment increases in undergraduate students with most seeing increases in graduate students as well.

This fall, UCCS set records for headcount, credit hours and freshman class with each campus college posting increases in undergraduate enrollment.

Total enrollment increased by 821 students or 8.4 percent from 9,777 students in fall 2012 to 10,598 in fall 2013. Student credit hours – the number of students multiplied by the number of courses they take – increased by 9,234 hours or 8.1 percent from 113,481 in fall 2012 to 122,715 in fall 2013.

Spring enrollment is traditionally lower than fall because of graduation and freshman student retention.