Enrollment across Upper Iowa University rises 6.3% overall
FAYETTE, Iowa (September 21, 2010) — University-wide enrollment has risen 6.3 percent at Upper Iowa University this fall. This total includes students enrolled at the Fayette campus, at the University’s U.S. and international centers, and in UIU online and independent study programs. UIU President Alan G. Walker said total University enrollment as of census day for the 2010-11 academic year is 6,765 compared to a year ago. This is the sixth consecutive year that enrollment has increased across UIU.
Of the 6,765 students enrolled in a UIU program on September 20, there are 6,266 undergraduate students and 499 graduate students University-wide. In addition, there are 37 non-degree-seeking students taking English as a Second Language preparation courses on the Fayette campus, which is not included in the official overall total.
The undergraduate population includes 877 students at the Fayette campus; 4,365 enrolled in Academic Extension programs (U.S. centers, online, and independent study); and 1,024 students at the international centers in Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. UIU has 38 graduate students enrolled at the Fayette campus and 461 graduate students enrolled in AE programs.
“We are pleased to see this continuing growth among all of our student populations,” Walker said. “This ascending enrollment demonstrates the strength of UIU’s approach to providing higher education through a variety of modalities that allow students to access a college education in ways that best suit their lives.”
“UIU is not just seeing a one-year boost in enrollment, but a phenomenal, sustained growth over a six-year period,” Walker added.
Citing UIU’s unique academic structure that offers six enrollment periods each year, Melik Peter Khoury, senior vice president for strategic positioning, said the University will see an estimated 2,000 more students enroll before the end of the academic year.
“Our variety of modalities and our enrollment flexibility allow students to enroll at any time throughout the year and to move easily from one modality to another,” Khoury added. He noted that this fall, nearly 8 percent of UIU students are simultaneously enrolled in courses offered through a combination of multiple modalities – on site, online, or as independent study.
“We are pleased to see students are taking advantage of UIU’s flexibility by combining modalities or moving from one modality to another as their personal circumstances change so that they earn their degree from UIU without losing a beat,” said William Duffy, senior vice president for Academic Extension.
Duffy noted that the UIU enrollment totals include 4,444 non-traditional students, age 25 and older, which is nearly two-thirds of UIU’s total student population.“Our Academic Extension programs are an increasingly important part of UIU, with significant enrollments each year,” he added. “Our unique combination of offerings provides the non-traditional, adult students with the ideal opportunity to earn a college degree or to retrain without giving up their jobs or their other family and professional commitments.”
The flexibility of modalities is especially attractive to military students, who are able to continue their education despite relocation. Veterans and active members of the military and their families account for 10 percent of University-wide enrollment.
UIU has also seen an increase in diversity across the University, as well as an increase in the number of international students. Nearly 1 in every 5 students is ethnically diverse University-wide. In addition to students at its international locations, UIU has 57 international students representing 22 nations enrolled at the Fayette campus. UIU student enrollment is about 63 percent female, 37 percent male.
Contact:
Monica Bayer Heaton
Executive Director of Communications and Marketing
Phone: 563-425-5773
Cell: 515-291-2070
heatonm@uiu.edu
About Upper Iowa University
Founded in 1857, Upper Iowa University is a private, not-for-profit university providing undergraduate and graduate degree programs and leadership development opportunities to over 6,600 students—nationally and internationally—at its Fayette campus and learning centers worldwide. Upper Iowa University is a recognized innovator in offering accredited, quality programs through flexible, multiple delivery systems, including online and independent study. For more information, visit www.uiu.edu.