October 12, 2011
Utah’s public colleges and universities see enrollment increases for fourth straight year
SALT LAKE CITY –The number of students attending Utah’s colleges and universities continues to increase for 2011. The Utah System of Higher Education (USHE) enrollment for the Fall 2011 semester increased by over 1,000 full-time equivalent students, for an increase of 1.17% over 2010. This is the fourth year in a row that enrollment has seen growth, with institutions showing increases in full-time equivalent students.
“For the past few years, we have seen enrollment numbers grow and that still appears to be the case. We would have seen even greater growth this year if colleges had not been forced to limit course offerings due to space and faculty availability,” said Bill Sederburg, Commissioner of Higher Education. “To reach our ‘Big Goal’ to achieve 66% of Utah’s workforce with a post-secondary credential in the next decade, it is extremely important that enrollment numbers continue to grow each year.”
Headcount includes all students enrolled at an institution, while FTE (Full Time Equivalent) approximates the number of students enrolled full-time (15 semester hours for undergraduate students and 10 semester hours for graduate students) each semester. Additionally, the system serves several thousand students in non-traditional programs which are not budget-related and do not receive any taxpayer support. Total headcount and budget-related FTE are included on the following table. (Budget-related are enrollments eligible for state funding.)
| Budget-Related FTE | 2010 | 2011 | % Change Over 2010 |
| University of Utah | 25,654 | 26,227 | 2.23% |
| Utah State University* | 19,068 | 19,542 | 2.48% |
| Weber State University | 13,700 | 13,821 | 0.88% |
| Southern Utah University | 6,241 | 6,008 | -3.74% |
| Snow College | 3,161 | 3,244 | 2.62% |
| Dixie State College | 6,118 | 6,395 | 4.52% |
| Utah Valley University | 19,010 | 19,705 | 3.65% |
| Salt Lake Community College | 16,567 | 15,856 | -4.29% |
| USHE Total | 109,520 | 110,798 | 1.17% |
| Budget-Related Headcount | 2010 | 2011 | % Change Over 2010 |
| University of Utah | 30,514 | 31,343 | 2.72% |
| Utah State University* | 25,531 | 26,191 | 2.59% |
| Weber State University | 20,155 | 20,515 | 1.79% |
| Southern Utah University | 6,963 | 6,880 | -1.19% |
| Snow College | 3,867 | 3,961 | 2.43% |
| Dixie State College | 8,138 | 8,583 | 5.47% |
| Utah Valley University | 26,844 | 27,823 | 3.65% |
| Salt Lake Community College | 28,443 | 27,041 | -4.93% |
| USHE Total | 150,455 | 152,337 | 1.25% |
| Total Headcount | 2010 | 2011 | % Change Over 2010 |
| University of Utah | 30,833 | 31,673 | 2.72% |
| Utah State University* | 28,401 | 28,994 | 2.09% |
| Weber State University | 24,126 | 25,483 | 5.62% |
| Southern Utah University | 8,024 | 7,750 | -3.41% |
| Snow College | 4,386 | 4,465 | 1.80% |
| Dixie State College | 8,755 | 9,086 | 3.78% |
| Utah Valley University | 32,670 | 33,395 | 2.22% |
| Salt Lake Community College | 33,983 | 33,167 | -2.40% |
| USHE Total | 171,178 | 174,013 | 1.66% |
Notes:
*Includes USU-Eastern headcount enrollments and FTE
1) FTEs are calculated then rounded to the nearest one
2) Source for “Prior” year information from 2011 USHE Data Book Tab C
About The Utah System of Higher Education: USHE includes all of Utah’s eight public colleges and universities: The University of Utah, Utah State University, Weber State University, Southern Utah University, Snow College, Dixie State College, Utah Valley University and Salt Lake Community College. For more information on the Utah System of Higher Education, visit our website at http://www.higheredutah.org.
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Posted by: psilberman
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