North Dakota's two research universities are both reporting an increase in first full day enrollment. North Dakota State University officials report that enrollment is 2 percent higher than last year at this time. University of North Dakota officials say first day numbers are up 6.9 percent compared with last year. Both universities posted record enrollments compared with last year’s final numbers. The final enrollment count will come four weeks into the semester.
NDSU has 14,204 students enrolled in its undergraduate, professional and graduate programs compared to fall 2009 first day count of 13,929. This represents an increase of 275 students.
NDSU has 3,204 new undergraduates with 2,410 freshman and 794 transfer students. The number of international students has increased by 12.3 percent from 1,027 to 1,153. Undergraduate students are up 305, with a small decrease in professional and graduate students registered at this time. NDSU’s overall enrollment increase demonstrates how retention efforts have paved the way for a higher percentage of returning students.
UND’s first day enrollment is 13,431, an increase of 865 over last year’s initial day tally of 12,566. Already UND has posted a record enrollment, up 259 over last year’s final number of 13,172 and the previous record of 13,187 in 2004.
UND showed good growth across the board. The UND Graduate School showed the best growth with 2,400 students, up 15 percent over last year’s tally of 2,093. UND has 2,925 new undergraduate students. New freshmen numbers are up 6 percent, 2,113 compared with 1,995. Transfer students are up 9 percent, 812 compared with 745. UND also showed a 2 percent increase in professional students (medicine and law), 496 compared with 487. And the number of returning undergraduate students is up 5 percent, 7,610 compared to 7,246.
NDSU President Dean L. Bresciani said NDSU’s enrollment reflects how students view the university. “Students see the quality and value of the NDSU experience. Nationwide there is demand for what NDSU has to offer – a degree from one of the top student-focused land grant research universities in the country. There are few, if any other land grant universities that conduct research at our quality, but remain student-focused. NDSU is attracting quite a bit of recognition for being that kind of university.”
UND President Robert O. Kelley said the enrollment trends follow UND's strategic direction. "UND has emerged as a nationally ranked research university with a strong liberal arts core surrounded by a constellation of professional programs. Our focus on teaching and learning and our growing scholarly reputation are attracting the best and brightest minds in the country and world, particularly at the graduate level where students seek quality research and professional programs taught by internationally recognized faculty.”