Freshman students entering the University of Colorado at Â鶹¹ÙÍø this fall are better prepared for college than any previous entering class and their numbers are higher than ever before, according to fall 2003 census information.
Improved preparation, as shown by higher entrance-exam scores and higher high school grade-point averages, is precisely the direction the campus wants to be heading, according to Chancellor Richard L. Byyny, who has championed CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø's Quality for Colorado proposal in recent years.
Quality for Colorado calls for CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø to become more selective in admissions and to limit the size of the incoming freshman class, while investing in targeted academic programs. Year one of the proposal was approved by state officials this summer.
"We hope to be able to stabilize the growth of the student body while improving the quality of our academic programs," said Byyny. "We intend to invest in areas of excellence, both existing and emerging, that will make CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø even stronger."
"It may take a few years to see the effects of growth limitations, due to the large freshman classes that are now going through the system," he said. "But we're headed in the right direction by attracting better prepared students, and we hope to realize the other important part of our plan by stabilizing enrollment growth in upcoming years."
The number of new freshmen totals 5,571, a 3 percent increase over last fall's 5,391. The higher number of new freshmen is the result of a record number of applications, more than 21,000 or 9 percent higher than last year and 34 percent more than 2000-01 levels. More than 56 percent of this year's freshmen are Colorado residents, about the same as in previous years.
Despite the larger number of new freshmen, a large increase in applications meant that the university could remain selective, with academic preparation stronger than ever. Average SAT (1175, up from 1166) and ACT (25.23, up from 25.15) scores, and high school GPAs (3.52, up from 3.50), were higher than for any previous freshman class. Transfers also showed a higher level of academic preparation, with an average transfer GPA of 3.18, compared to 3.16 last year.
Transfer students also increased slightly this year to 1,477, compared to last year's 1,438. Resident and nonresident transfers showed similar small increases.
This fall's total enrollment of 29,151 degree and teacher-licensure students also is a record high, up 4 percent from last year's 27,954. Of the total, 24,540 are undergraduates, up almost 5 percent from last fall.
Campus officials noted that enrollment growth at CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø can have both challenging and positive impacts on the community and the state. Ric Porreca, senior vice chancellor and chief financial officer, said that growth pressures can affect housing, transportation, class availability and student support. "However, CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø has been successful in responding to those pressures, by adding new housing at Bear Creek Apartments in Williams Village, continuing to offer a bus pass to all students and staff, and by adding necessary course sections."
Porreca said recent budget cuts represented another challenge for responding to enrollment growth, but the campus has "made the difficult decisions and focused on reductions that would have the least impact on the students' educational experience."
On the positive side, enrollment growth also represents a boost to the local and state economy, Porreca said. "Over the years, the university's stable workforce and robust research enterprise have helped buffer some of the economic fluctuations in the local economy," he noted. In fiscal 2002, CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø students added nearly $370 million to the local and state economies and another $23 million was added by out-of-state visitors to Â鶹¹ÙÍø campus students.
CU-Â鶹¹ÙÍø's fall 2003 enrollment census recorded an increase in the number of graduate students, a group targeted for growth on the Â鶹¹ÙÍø campus. Graduate students number 4,611, an increase of 2.5 percent from last fall's 4,500. Graduate students account for about 16 percent of total enrollment, the same percentage as last year. However, the 1,350 new graduate students represent a decline from last year's 1,385.
Colorado residents account for 67 percent of the overall fall enrollment with 19,447 in-state students. Non-resident students total 9,704, or 33 percent of the student body. The mix has remained virtually unchanged since about 1975.
The number of new undergraduates who are ethnic minorities increased to 1,005, up from last fall's 973. Although minority freshmen declined from 826 to 792, a drop of 4 percent, the drop was more than offset by a 45 percent increase in minority transfers, from 147 to 213. Minority students make up about 14 percent of the new freshmen, down slightly from 15 percent last year, but the minority percentage among transfers increased from 10 percent to 14 percent.
Average credit loads are slightly higher than last fall for undergraduates (14.1 hours vs. 14.0 last year) and slightly lower for graduate-level students (8.0 hours vs. 8.1 last year).
For additional information, see these Web sites:
Fall 2003 compared to fall 2002:
Enrollment over time, overall:
Most popular undergraduate majors:
Academic preparation of new freshmen over time: