Fall Enrollment Up 7.3%, SCH 10.4% at Texas A&M International University

Preliminary twelfth class day figures for enrollment at Texas A&M International University indicate the largest enrollment in the history of the University.

Total undergraduate and graduate enrollment for the Fall Semester 1999 is 3,220, up 7.3% over the previous record enrollment last Fall of 3001. Semester Credit Hours (SCH), upon which critical state funding is based, is up to 29,816, a 10.4% increase over last Fall's SCH of 27,003.

Mary Treviño, Acting Associate Vice President for Student Services, attributes the increase to four key factors.

"Clearly, we've added some additional degree interest areas such as our Masters in Public Administration, and this has generated considerable student interest. We've been able to add much-needed financial aid assistance and have nurtured student enrollment through special summer programs. Finally, we've been doing some aggressive community outreach through our neighborhood by neighborhood information programs, 'Come Home to Your University,' which brought the University's message home through neighborhood and community centers. We think this combination has strengthened enrollment interest," Treviño said.

Treviño noted that graduate student enrollment is also benefiting from recent graduates returning for advanced degrees.

"We're seeing greater enrollment by recent undergraduate degree holders in our graduate degree programs, which we believe is indicative of satisfaction with the undergraduate program being transferred to our graduate program. This fall, our student body is 70% undergraduate and 30% graduate which is a more traditional distribution," she said.

The Fall class at A&M International is a highly diverse group. While 80% are from the Laredo regional area, over 30 foreign countries have student representatives in the class.

Females still are the most populous gender on campus, with 63% of undergraduates female and 37% male. The most popular declared undergraduate major is Accounting while Early Childhood Education is second.

While the average undergraduate student age is 25, the University's oldest undergraduate student is 74 and its youngest a 16-year-old sophomore.

The student enrollment growth is having additional benefits, Treviño reported.

"Our student housing facility, University Village, is 84% occupied," she observed.

The 241-unit complex has a total capacity of 203 students.

Pre-Registration for the Spring Semester 2000 will begin November 8 and continue through Nov. 19. For additional information, please contact the Office of the Registrar at 326.2250.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Affairs and Information Services at pais@tamiu.edu