North Dakota State University's fall 2010 enrollment set a record for the eleventh consecutive year. The university's official fourth week enrollment is 14,407 undergraduate, graduate and professional students. This is an increase of 218 from the official figure a year ago. The official fall 2009 enrollment was 14,189 students, which was released on Sept. 22, 2009.
NDSU President Dean L. Bresciani said parents and students recognize and appreciate NDSU’s value.
“NDSU, as a top 100 research university, offers students the opportunity to participate in the process of creating knowledge. Our students are in the labs and in classrooms with top faculty, at an institution that is uniquely focused on students and research," said Bresciani.
Undergraduate student enrollment is 11,977 up from 11,733 a year ago. Graduate student enrollment is 2,084, down slightly from 2,103 students from a year ago. NDSU’s international student population also reached an all-time high of 1,307 students, an increase from 1,171 in 2009.
Prakash Mathew, vice president for student affairs, credits the enrollment increase to student retention.
“I believe that we are very intentional in everything that we do in our recruitment and retention process,” said Mathew. “The responsibility for recruitment is a function of every member of the university community. We take great pride in the fact that we are a welcoming community at NDSU.”
David Wittrock, dean of the graduate school, said while overall graduate student enrollment is down, there is an important distinction between degree and non-degree seeking graduate students.
“Degree-seeking graduate students are those who are already working towards a master’s or doctoral degree. These student directly contribute to the research and teaching mission of the university. Our degree-seeking students are up by 55 students,” said Wittrock. “Non-degree seeking students are those looking to take a graduate class or two for professional development. Some of them may choose to go on to enroll in a graduate program.”
