Strategic efforts impact fall 2017 enrollment

New students gather on the Husky Stadium field during Huskies First Four events in August. Photo by Jeff Wood ’81 ’87 ’95

St. Cloud State University welcomed 14,615 students to campus this fall, according to the 30^th day enrollment report.

The final 30^th day enrollment for full-year equivalent (FYE) is an improvement from what was predicted last academic year for fall.

“We are well-positioned financially for FY’18 because of the good work in spring and fall to improve our numbers from what we had anticipated,” said Interim President Ashish Vaidya. “The results show that if we put our efforts behind strategic change, positive things can happen. We are taking charge of our future.”

Headcount and FYE differ in that headcount treats every student equally. FYE factors in student credit hours. For the second consecutive year, more undergraduate students are attempting 15 credits than 12 credits, which will improve their time to graduation and career success.

The 4-year graduation rate is also the highest it’s been since 1999. The work around Re-Imagining the First Year and Huskies First Four also has resulted in a more engagement from students at events this fall.

“I am thankful to our faculty and staff for their hard work and dedication. Student recruitment and student success remains everyone’s priority,” said Interim Provost Dan Gregory.

In line with state and national trending data supporting St. Cloud State’s commitment to diversity and inclusivity, students of color enrollment is up 4.9 percent for undergraduate and graduate students. 18.3 percent of St. Cloud State’s student population are students of color.

St. Cloud State’s students of color enrollment has experienced consistent increases since fall 2005 when students of color were 5.4 percent of the university’s overall headcount. International students also increased 6 percent bringing the total to 1,466. St. Cloud State’s commitment to internationalization helps all University students be better prepared to succeed in global market.

The university is engaged in strategic enrollment management planning, strategic reinvestment and work group tasks to increase enrollment for fall 2018.

“I am confident the collective wisdom of the campus community will lead to successfully achieving our goals of bringing an additional 185 new students to our campus next fall,” Vaidya said.