TAMIU Posts Record 10.5% Enrollment Gain to 5,558 Students

Despite a darkening economy, more students are making a bright choice to invest in themselves and their futures at Texas A&M International University (TAMIU), which announced an impressive 10.5% enrollment increase, according to enrollment figures reported to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Final enrollment figures show TAMIU Spring enrollment is 5,558, up 10.5% from last Spring’s 5017 students. Semester Credit Hours (SCH), upon which State funding is based, totaled 55,265 — up 10.5% from last Spring’s 50,003.

Dr. Ray Keck, TAMIU president, said that the increases are especially significant in the challenging economic environment.

“This is in keeping with an evergreen in higher education…when times are toughest, people return to Universities in large numbers to retool and repurpose for success. Our dedicated students are no exception,” Dr. Keck noted.

Also promising is that the increased Spring semester enrollment occurs as TAMIU proceeds through this Legislative Session, which will determine the University’s future funding levels.

“Higher enrollment and greater SCH means we deliver on our mission of higher education. As the Legislature gauges our performance, especially regarding our mandate to ‘Close the Gaps,’ TAMIU’s statewide success story offers an enviable standard in Texas higher education. All of this, of course, is made possible by the Legislature and a combination of blessings: strong community support and partnerships that encourage students to pursue their dreams here,” Keck said.

Keck indicated strategic University programs have helped to encourage additional enrollment growth.

“First and foremost, we have implemented aggressive programs like our First Year Experience, Campus Reading Program and Learning Communities, all of which have helped to boost our freshman retention rate to 71%. Statewide; the average retention rate is 74%.

“Additionally, HB 1 has brought 185 high school students to campus on a part-time basis this Spring. Finally, our ‘Dusty Promise’ program, which provides admitted students whose families annually earn less than $30,000 four academic years of tuition and fee costs to attend TAMIU, has been very popular,” he explained.

“These programs, coupled with dynamic and aggressively linked recruiting and marketing campaigns and tireless staff efforts have resulted in an extremely healthy enrollment increase…we have even had to augment our student e-mail capabilities here,” Keck noted.

He provided additional information on TAMIU Spring Semester 2009 enrollment: full-time students comprise 53% (2,965) of the Spring combined undergraduate/graduate enrollment, while 47% (2,593) are part-time.

The College of Arts and Sciences has the highest enrollment with 2,594 students (47%). The A. R. Sanchez Jr. School of Business follows with 1,185 students (21.32%), College of Education with 1,429 (26%) and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, 350 (6.30%).

The most popular undergraduate majors are early childhood education, business administration and nursing. The most popular graduate programs are business administration, educational administration, and school counseling.

The average overall student age is 23 (undergraduate) and 31 (graduate). The youngest student is 14 while the oldest is 75. Females outnumber males 62% (3,426) to 38% (2,132). Average undergraduate class size is 29 and student-faculty ratio is 18 to 1.

Minority enrollment is 90% Hispanic, .81% Black and .45% Asian. Ninety-four percent of students are In-State residents, but 4.8% of the University's combined undergraduate and graduate enrollment is international. Twenty-six different countries are represented in the University’s total enrollment.

Online registration for the University’s Maymester, Summer Sessions and Fall 2009 begins April 13, 2009 via UOnline at tamiu.edu. Maymester classes begin May 11 and end May 29. Summer Session I classes start June 1 and end July 2. Summer Session II classes begin July 6 and end Aug. 6.

Summer Session III classes begin June 1 and end Aug. 6. Fall 2009 classes begin Aug. 24, 2009 and end Dec. 12, 2009. For registration information, visit the Office of the University Registrar at tamiu.edu/affairs/registrar

For additional information, please contact the Office of the Registrar at 326.2250, visit offices in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library room 168 or e-mail registrar@tamiu.edu

Registrar's office hours are Monday and Tuesday from 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

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