UT Enrollment Climbs for 8th Straight Semester

Enrollment at The University of Toledo increased for the eighth consecutive semester as 819 additional students enrolled for spring 2010 for a total of 21,594, a 3.9 percent jump from the official 15-day census report at this time last year, UT officials announced Tuesday.

UT’s full-time equivalency (FTE) — the figure used to determine state subsidy — also increased, reaching 18,583, up 5.7 percent from last spring.
FTE is calculated by the total number of course credit hours taken by students divided by 15, and often conveys a more accurate representation of the way enrollment affects an institution’s finances.

“As more students look to The University of Toledo for their education, I think it shows our efforts to showcase UT and help make a college education affordable are working as planned,” said Lawrence J. Burns, vice president for external affairs and interim vice president for equity and diversity. “This is a strategic effort that is following closely UT’s strategic plan and its enrollment goals.”

Burns emphasized that UT’s financial aid packages are particularly important in a tough economy. That aid, plus the recruitment of strong students over the last few years, helped contribute to a 4.4 percent increase in continuing students. “It’s evidence that our retention efforts are also on the right track,” he said.

Kevin Kucera, associate vice president for enrollment services, said the enrollment growth UT experienced this semester and over the last four years is representative of an outstanding staff dedicated to students’ success.

“Not only continuing students, but the graduate school, new adult students and new transfer students all showed sizable increases,” Kucera said. “I’m just so proud of the Enrollment Services team for their hard work, and I want to thank everyone across the University for contributing to that success.”

President Lloyd Jacobs recognized the role that faculty, staff, alumni and other students play in that recruitment process and said the enrollment increase represented a win for the entire campus.

“Kevin, thank you to you and your team, but I also want to be sure that credit is shared with each and every person on this campus,” Jacobs said. “We all have the same goal, and I think our efforts are providing more students with more opportunities to change their lives through education. UT faculty’s commitment to their students and to excellent teaching is an essential part of this success.

Burns also highlighted the University’s new “More” marketing campaign and continued efforts in Michigan, Cleveland and Columbus as helping contribute to the increase.