UTA Enrollment is Soaring-Why?

[ponyscott]

The attached article says UTA has surged 34% in enrollment in the last 5 years ( to over 33,00 Students) and they have spent over $300 Million on the campus as well;

http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/blog/ ... l?page=all

UT Arlington enrollment is soaring, but why?

Date: Friday, January 20, 2012, 10:11am CST -



Bill Hethcock
Staff Writer - Dallas Business Journal


I got the opportunity to tour the University of Texas at Arlington ’s College Park project last week. It’s an impressive development.

As I stood in the new College Park Center arena watching workers add finishing touches and listening to them test the sound system, I wondered what was making the university grow so fast it could support such a project.

Aggressive recruiting and marketing, better retention of students, improving academics, better facilities and a stronger focus on campus life have all played a part in the enrollment boom, university officials told me. UT Arlington enrollment has soared 34 percent in the past five years, pushing the total to more than 33,000 students. Statewide, enrollment in public universities is up 15 percent in five years.

One factor pushing enrollment is heavy recruitment in North Texas and the Houston and Austin areas, said John Hall, vice president for campus operations and administration. About 70 percent of UT-Arlington’s students come from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and the rest come from outside, he said.

“We’re seeing our freshman enrollment numbers exceed levels that were record levels the previous semesters,” he said. “So we’ve been very effective on the student recruitment side.”

Hot areas of study driving up enrollment numbers include nursing and other health professions, education, business and liberal arts, Hall said. A record 7,647 UT Arlington students earned degrees in the 2009-10 academic year.

A year ago, UT Arlington created University College, a one-stop shop for student advising, tutoring and counseling. As a result, this fall the university retained more than 1,000 more students than it retained a year ago, Hall said.

University statistics show 74 percent of freshmen from fall 2010 returned for their sophomore year, up from 61 percent five years ago.

“A lot of our students are first-generation college students, so to ensure their academic success from their freshman year to their sophomore year it takes a little bit more hand-holding,” Hall said.

The academic level of the university’s students is increasing as well, Hall said. This fall, about a third of incoming freshmen graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school class, and 70 percent were in the top quarter. Average SAT scores are up, too.

“Students coming in with more academic accomplishments helps our retention, which then grows our enrollment,” Hall said.

The number of transfer students from community colleges is also reaching record highs, Hall added. In addition, the university’s research expenditures have nearly tripled to $66 million over the past six years, raising the university’s profile and spurring enrollment, he added.

Five years ago, the campus completed an almost 200,000-square-foot recreation center on the west side of campus, and 4,000 to 5,000 students go through that facility daily, he said.

UT Arlington President James Spaniolo has overseen $300 million worth of campus expansion in the last four years, including a 25,000-square-foot civil engineering lab building, the 234,000-square-foot Engineering Research Building and now the College Park District.

Spaniolo credits the university’s growing enrollment for allowing the school to freeze tuition for the upcoming 2012-13 academic year. The state’s higher education funding system gives more state dollars to universities with more students.

UT Arlington has raised its prices every year since tuition deregulation in 2003, rising from an average of $4,123 in the 2001-02 school year to $9,292 this year. The UT System regents had told institutions that they could request tuition increases of up to 2.6 percent for undergraduates and 3.6 percent for graduate students, but UT-Arlington could afford to hold the line on tuition because of growth, Spaniolo said.

The university also plans to maintain current rates for student housing and dining for the 2012-13 academic year, Spaniolo said. Room and board at the university averages $7,554.

For more about UT Arlington and the College Park District, be sure to check out this week's print edition.

[RGV Pony]

Saw ad in dmn talking about their new arena...all games the rest of the season are free. Prob a good approach for a new arena. Get ppl to experience the product and hope theyll come back

[gostangs]

because the world needs ditch diggers too - to quote the great Caddyshack

[tristatecoog]

Looks like UT Arlington President James Spaniolo was a good hire out of Michigan State, his alma mater. He graduated the same year from undergrad as George W. Bush.

I thought you needed great sports programs to advance your university.

[DiamondM75]

"About 70 percent of UT-Arlington’s students come from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and the rest come from outside, he said."

Genius.

[Stallion]

I thought the pictures I've seen of the new arena were pretty nice-better than I expected. Here's the one I saw:-but I think the floor has been redone

http://blog.uta.edu/facilities/files/20 ... nside1.png

[Charleston Pony]

commuter school, value in education and marketing your product. Watch out for these guys. You paying attention, UNT?

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

commuter school, value in education and marketing your product. Watch out for these guys. You paying attention, UNT?

Denton has a lot more to offer than Arlington too.

That blinding billboard on Central around Forest that advertises UTA basket ball is so annoying every morning. You paying attention, SMU?

[Digetydog]

commuter school, value in education and marketing your product. Watch out for these guys. You paying attention, UNT?

Denton has a lot more to offer than Arlington too.

That blinding billboard on Central around Forest that advertises UTA basket ball is so annoying every morning. You paying attention, SMU?

I have to disagree. If you are working part-time, Arlington is a much better location.

[lwjr]

commuter school, value in education and marketing your product. Watch out for these guys. You paying attention, UNT?

Denton has a lot more to offer than Arlington too.

That blinding billboard on Central around Forest that advertises UTA basket ball is so annoying every morning. You paying attention, SMU?

Remember, SMU does not have any money to market it's athletic teams