Student enrollment is expected to surpass 69,000 this semester, setting a record for the University, officials said.
Enrollment at all of ASU’s campuses and online classes last fall was about 67,000, according to a statement released Monday.
The fall 2009 enrollment is expected to rise above that. The University will release a final number after the 21st day of classes.
“The increase has been anticipated, and we planned for it,” said Arthur Blakemore, senior vice provost of ASU. “I expect it to continue, it’s been a steady increase year after year.”
Despite pushing the new student application deadline forward five months last spring, more than 9,200 freshmen enrolled for the 2009 school year, according to the release.
However, last year’s freshman class was larger than this year’s, with about 11,000 students.
The March 1 application deadline for incoming freshmen was intended to cap enrollment as a result of state budget woes in the last fiscal year, ASU President Michael Crow said in a statement last spring.
Brendan O’Kelly, president of the Undergraduate Student Government at the Tempe campus, said the University was able to find sufficient funds to continue to provide essential resources despite the increased student population.
“The University is looking for a constant stream of revenue,” O’Kelly said.
Blakemore said he believes enrollment has increased since last year because programs at ASU are attractive to incoming students.
Criminal justice freshman Alex Perea agreed with Blakemore, and said she had originally planned to attend Northern Arizona University but was attracted by the criminology program at ASU.
The value at ASU is also a draw for new students, Blakemore said.
“The reward for a college education is very, very good,” Blakemore said.
With more students on campus, the number of National Merit Scholars at ASU has increased as well.
Within the 9,200-person freshman class are 160 National Merit Scholars and 118 National Hispanic Scholars. Twelve of Arizona’s 17 Flinn Scholars also enrolled at ASU this fall, according to a University press release.
Keith Southergill, the senior student services coordinator for Barrett, the Honors College, said the college had more than 2,100 applications for this fall, a jump of 300 from last year.
“The great thing is we didn’t see any sort of reduction in quality of students,” he said. “Large amounts of applications force us to be more selective.”
By being more selective, the reputation of the college will increase, but there’s also a negative side to it because “that’s going to lead us to lots of tough decisions,” he said.
Southergill said the increased enrollment is not only due to the reputation of ASU and Barrett, but also the economy. Many students are electing to stay in state for the lower tuition rates.
Reach reporter at rachel.jimenez@asu.edu.
