WMU enrollment on the way up

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Western Michigan University reports enrollment increases are exceeding expectations this year.

Enrollment has hit 25,045, up nearly 2 percent over last year’s count. WMU’s enrollment peaked in 2002 at 29,732 students.

WMU President John M. Dunn recently announced the enrollment figures during his annual State of the University address. He indicated that a major campus focus on retaining students is paying off.

“We have significant growth in the number of new students at all levels,” says Dunn. “As important as that growth is, I find myself even more encouraged by the fact that we have achieved a major increase in our freshman-to-sophomore retention rate due to your efforts to reach out to help students during those all-important first months on campus.”

A Summary of WMU’s fall 2010 enrollment report shows:

• Beginning freshmen enrollment is up by 6.8 percent from 3,267 to 3,488.

• Transfer enrollments increased by 12.9 percent from 1,705 in fall 2009 to 1,925 this year.

• Nonresident enrollment increased for the fourth consecutive year, this fall by 5.3 percent.

• Total graduate enrollment is up by 1 percent, while enrollment at the master’s level is up by 2.8 percent. This is the fourth consecutive year the university has seen enrollment increases at the graduate level.

• Enrollment at WMU regional sites increased by 2.3 percent from 1,598 to 1,635.

Beginning freshmen coming to WMU this fall hail from 73 Michigan counties, 25 additional states and 24 other nations.

WMU’s overall enrollment includes students from all 83 Michigan counties, dozens of other states across the nation and 94 other countries.

Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: Cheryl Roland.WMU