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Fall enrollment hits another record

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Fall enrollment at California State University, Fresno surged 6.9 percent to a new high of 21,389 students.

The record comes a year after enrollment broke the 20,000-student mark for the first time, when the 20,007 students enrolled in the fall of 2001.

Bernie Vinovrski, assistant vice president for enrollment services, said the number of new graduate students and first-time freshmen led the surge with increases of 19 percent and 15.5 percent, respectively. The number of transfer students increased by 12.8 percent.

President Welty said he is particularly pleased that the university's enrollment and graduation rate closely reflect the diversity of the Valley population, a factor that was the subject of a New York Times story in May 2001.

The growing enrollment of first-time freshmen is a trend the university has been experiencing for several years. The university's enrollment of first-time freshmen has increased by 31 percent since fall 1998.      

Officials said this continuing growth is extremely significant, because it indicates that Fresno State is becoming the university of first choice for high school graduates.

Back to University Journal, 12/02 Issue