ASU’s student population has ballooned this year to 70,440, according to numbers released by the University Thursday.
In addition to maintaining its position as the largest university in the United States, retention rate for last year’s freshman class is at an all-time high with 83 percent.
These enrollment numbers include students from all four campuses and ASU’s online program. This figure shows an increase of more than 2,400 students compared to last year’s 68,064 students enrolled, said Kent Hopkins, vice provost for Enrollment Management.
The record retention rate was calculated by counting the number of full-time freshmen from fall 2009 who returned to ASU this semester.
“It’s the highest retention rate we’ve ever had,” Hopkins said. “We’re really pleased with that, and we’d like to see it grow.”
Hopkins pointed to the freshman class, “University 101,” and the eAdvisor program as two factors that may have contributed to the high return rate.
The College of Nursing and Health Innovation is one of the colleges at ASU with the highest increases in enrollment, he said.
Nursing sophomore Jaime Buchholz said she believes that the nursing school has such a high amount of interest because it has a very competitive practitioner program.
She is one of the many students who returned to ASU after her freshman year, and she said she plans to finish her undergraduate degree at ASU.
“I want to graduate as an Arizona State Sun Devil,” Buchholz said.
The Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, the College of Technology and Innovation, and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences also had a high increase in enrollment, Hopkins said.
A big part of why the engineering schools have seen such an increase in enrollment is because of the career options available, Hopkins said.
ASU hopes to continue the increasing trend in the years to come and has high hopes, considering the success of the new freshman class, he said.
“This is one of our best academically prepared freshman classes we’ve ever had,” Hopkins said.
The freshman class has an average score of 1,110 on the SAT, he said.
Reach the reporter at cottens@asu.edu
