Enrollment increases at YSU for first time since 2011

Enrollment Increase

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Youngstown State University President Jim Tressel discusses the recent enrollment increase.

YOUNGSTOWN

While there was a significant increase in new students this past Fall semester, total enrollment is now up at Youngstown State University for the first time in five years.

The university reported that there are 12,361 students enrolled this Spring semester, up 0.33 percent or 41 students from last Spring semester.

It’s YSU’s first semester-to-semester enrollment increase since Spring 2011.

Gary Swegan, associate vice president for Enrollment Planning and Management, said the university also expects enrollment to increase this coming Fall semester. Fall semester enrollment has been on the decline since 2010.

“Over the course of the past two years, we have worked hard to establish a comprehensive and sustainable enrollment infrastructure that we believe provides a foundation for the continued growth of our student population,” he said.

While total enrollment was down 0.7 percent this past Fall semester, the university experienced a 13.5 percent increase in the number of freshmen, a 20 percent increase in the number of new students (freshmen, transfer, graduate and dual enrollment students) and a significant increase in freshman-to-sophomore retention. The university also reported a freshman class with more out-of-state students, minority students and honor students.

Swegan said he believes the combination of YSU’s wide-range of nationally-accredited programs and relatively low cost – the lowest tuition among Ohio’s largest public comprehensive universities – is increasingly attractive to students.

“With our quality academic offerings and extensive scholarship and financial aid opportunities, we believe YSU provides the best higher education value in the region,” he said.