University Star

The numbers are in, and it’s official: this fall, Texas State welcomed a record-high number of students.

According to Institutional Research, there are 34,113 students enrolled at Texas State. This is a 4.7 percent increase from last fall. Of the total number of students, approximately 29,000 are undergraduates.

Michael Heintze, associate vice president for Enrollment Management, said about 19,000 potential freshmen applied for the fall semester, 15.6 percent more than last fall. Of those who applied, about 11,500 students were admitted and 4,400 enrolled, making this Texas State’s largest freshman class ever. Beverly Woodson Day, associate director of undergraduate admissions, said the increase in applications played a part in enrollment.

When University President Denise Trauth spoke to the Associated Student Government on Monday night, she said Texas State has become the “it” university for graduating high school students. Trauth said the University of Texas, Texas A&M University, Baylor University and Texas State received the most SAT scores from applying high school seniors in the state.

Day said admissions requirements have been the same as past years, but more students applied because they are beginning to see Texas State as a viable option.

“The same percentage of students at the top of their class in high school applied, so that didn’t impact the increase of applications,” Day said. “We had the same types of students applying, there were just more of them. They see the growth happening here and want to be a part of it.”

With the increase of students, ethnic diversity has grown at Texas State. The university became eligible for Hispanic Serving Institution status last fall, meaning Hispanics comprise 25 percent of the total enrollment. This fall, 28 percent of undergraduates are Hispanic. The number of black students has increased by 1 percent this fall. Both increases make this freshmen class the most diverse in history, comprising of 33 percent Hispanic and 9 percent black students.

Heintze said the College of Health Professions saw the biggest influx of students with a 25 percent increase. The McCoy College of Business Administration saw the second highest increase, with enrollment up 11 percent from last fall.

Provost Eugene Bourgeois said this fall’s enrollment increase reflects how students are beginning to see Texas State as a major university of choice and quality institution.

“This should make us feel really good,” Bourgeois said. “Our degrees will begin to have more credibility and viability.”

Texas State has sought to meet the state’s needs to educate more students, and has responded to that need in a way that is measured and well thought out, Heintze said. He said classroom resources will need to be maximized to accommodate more students, meaning more afternoon classes will be held in the future.

Heintze said Texas State’s reputation has continued to grow, and more students are looking at it as a place to pursue their higher education while retaining a high quality of life. He said students appreciate undergraduates are at the heart of the institution.

“When we open the doors to our new P.A.C.E. Center, that will send a strong message to students that this institution cares about the success of undergraduates,” Heintze said. “It’s just another example of how we actively work to ensure tour students have the opportunity to achieve academic success.”