Southeastern's Fall Enrollment reaches 23-year high with 4,229 students

Press Release Date: 09-11-2009

DURANT, Okla. – "Back to School" is an appropriate term to describe the fall semester at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

School officials reported today that Southeastern's 2009 Fall enrollment stands at 4,229 – the highest fall enrollment figure at the University in 23 years. In 1986, the fall enrollment was 4,271.

The Fall 2009 enrollment numbers also represent an 8.7% increase over Fall 2008.

Student credit hours, one component on which state funding is based, have also increased by 7.9% over last fall and are at the highest level since 1999.

Classes began at the University on Aug. 17.

University officials attribute the enrollment increase to a number of factors, including the economy, the opportunity of a quality education at an affordable cost, and customer service.

"We are very pleased to see this significant increase in our fall enrollment," said Southeastern interim president Larry Minks. "Historically, when the economy is down and unemployment is up, people tend to go back to school. But when you look at the large number of new freshman and transfer students we have attracted this year, I think there is much more to the story."

"For instance, in keeping with our goal of providing a quality education at an affordable cost, we did not raise tuition costs this year. At the same time, approximately 70 percent of our students receive some type of financial aid. And for the second year in a row, we are offering a textbook reserve program in which students have free access to expensive textbooks in the library.

"Finally, Southeastern prides itself on customer service. From the day a student is recruited, to the day he begins classes and to the day he walks across the stage at graduation, he receives individual attention – he is not just a number. And that is made possible because the University has a dedicated faculty and staff working to ensure the success of our students."

Minks added that the University is continuing to meet the ever-changing needs of both traditional and non-traditional students with the flexibility of in-classroom instruction, Internet classes, and a hybrid, or combination, of the two instructional formats. New degree programs and offerings are also regularly evaluated to meet the needs of students, he said.

In addition to the main campus at Durant, classes and programs are offered at the Southeastern-McCurtain County branch campus; Ardmore Higher Education Center; Eastern Oklahoma State College-McAlester campus; Tinker Air Force Base; Oklahoma City Community College; and Grayson County College in Denison, Texas.

A closer look at the enrollment numbers reveals impressive increases among both first-time freshman and transfer students.

The Fall 2009 first-time freshman enrollment is 672 students – the highest since 1987 and an increase of 9.8% over last fall.

First-time transfer enrollment this fall is 524 students – the highest since 2001 and an increase of 33.7% over last fall.

In addition, graduate student enrollment is up 11.5% over last fall.

As for locations, significant growth is apparent at the outreach sites, including the McCurtain County branch campus and the Southeastern at Grayson County College Elementary Education program.

Institutions submit an official preliminary enrollment report each semester to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.