UT Arlington announces double-digit growth in fall enrollment

by PegNews wire

ARLINGTON — The University of Texas at Arlington announced a record-breaking fall enrollment of 28,084, a milestone of double-digit growth that reflects the university’s focus on students and diversity of academic programs.

Enrollment is up almost 12% from fall 2008, when 25,100 undergraduate and graduate students were enrolled at UT Arlington. Gains are most prominent in the critical areas of nursing, education, and science — fields in which aggressive recruiting and retention efforts are showing results.

“These numbers are evidence of what we see on campus every day — UT Arlington is a dynamic university that is improving by every measure,” President James D. Spaniolo said. “Students are choosing this university because they see an institution that is on the rise, one that is gaining momentum toward becoming a major national research institution.”

Of the 3,000-plus new students, about a third are new to college, a third are students who continued at the university through enhanced retention efforts, and a third have become Mavericks by enrolling in new distance education and hybrid delivery programs.

“This freshman class is not only UT Arlington’s largest yet, but it is also the most accomplished,” Donald R. Bobbitt, provost and vice president for academic affairs, said of this fall’s nearly 4,300 freshmen. About 25 percent of the 2009 freshman class ranked in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class, Bobbitt said.

Several factors are driving UT Arlington’s growth:

• Major increases in financial aid and scholarship programs, such as Maverick Promise, which guarantees free tuition for those with household incomes of $65,000 or less and who qualify for a Pell Grant. Total undergraduate scholarship awards for the 2009-2010 school year are expected to be $10.3 million, up 58% from the $6.5 million awarded in 2008-2009 school year. Total financial aid awarded this fall is $267.4 million, up 40 percent from the $191.6 million awarded last year.

• An enhanced academic advising process designed to more effectively help students achieve their goals and earn their degrees

• An intense focus on retaining students by providing the support and infrastructure that is so critical to their success

• New fellowships, scholarships and other awards at the graduate level that encourage more students to pursue doctoral degrees and creative scholarship programs, such as the UT Arlington Graduate Stimulus Scholarship benefitting graduate students who have not found a job or who have lost a job because of the economy

• A dedicated Veterans Assistance Office committed to aiding military men and women returning to college under the post-9-11 GI Bill. UT Arlington is home to about 650 veterans who are going to college on the post-9-11 GI Bill, up from about 500 veterans during previous semesters

• New online programs offered through the School of Nursing and the College of Education. These programs allow working professionals in these high-demand fields and those who may live far from campus to upgrade their education and potential earning power. More than 1,000 students this fall are participating in these online programs.

Source: UT Arlington

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