The fall 2002 freshman class at the University of Colorado at Boulder will be larger than last year by about 370 students, the result of record applications and high confirmation rates among those admitted, university officials say.
Chancellor Richard Byyny attributes the heightened interest in part to increased awareness "of CU-Boulder's outstanding faculty, including Nobel laureates, stellar teachers and leading-edge researchers, as well as our personalized student learning programs. Our faculty and academic programs are among the best in the nation - and students appreciate that level of quality," Byyny said.
This year's freshman class is projected at about 5,355, compared to the fall 2000 class of 5,095 and the fall 2001 freshman class of 4,982. The increase follows a surge in applications last winter, which were 11 percent higher for in-state students than in 2001. Applications for entering freshmen totaled 19,125, the highest level in CU-Boulder history.
Students from Colorado will make up 56.2 percent of the freshman class, the largest percentage in recent years. The class is expected to include about 3,010 residents and 2,345 non-residents. This year's class reflects strong showings of both resident and non-resident students, despite the effects of a recession and the Sept. 11 attacks.
More rigorous efforts to control admissions were exercised this year than in the past, said Barbara Schneider, director of admissions and enrollment management. CU-Boulder closely adhered to the Feb. 15 application deadline, and admissions officers managed the application process strictly this year, she said.
Also, in order to better manage the admissions process, the campus already has set the application deadline earlier for fall 2003. The deadline for fall 2003 admissions will be Jan. 15 next year.
Although the 2002 class will be large, Ron Stump, vice chancellor for student affairs, said all freshmen will be housed in campus residence halls and additional instructors are being hired to cover additional sections of popular freshman-level courses.
"Indications were that this fall class might be large, so we've planned accordingly to make sure rooms and additional class sections are in place," Stump said. "We're confident that students will be settled in the residence halls and get the classes they need, if not the exact times they want, by the time classes start Aug. 26."
Having a large applicant pool is positive for the university, Schneider said, because it allows the campus to maintain or improve the student body's academic credentials. The fall 2002 class is expected to be as strong or stronger academically as the fall 2001 class, which had higher ACT scores, higher grade-point averages and SAT scores that were five to 10 points higher than the fall 2000 freshman class.
Another measure aimed at minimizing the impact of having more students in Boulder was a mailing by CU's Environmental Center to parents of all incoming freshmen this summer urging students not to bring cars to campus. Admissions materials also discourage freshmen from bringing cars, encouraging them to make use of their free passes to ride city buses and to bicycle and walk.
"Our surveys show only 35 percent to 40 percent of freshmen bring cars to campus," Stump said. "We're glad that percentage is low but we'd like to lower it further by encouraging more students to use alternative transportation," he said.
Stump said the university is very mindful of enrollment impacts on the city and has tried to minimize them by putting the Williams Village expansion on a fast track and by discouraging students' reliance on cars. The Williams Village housing complex at Baseline Road and 30th Street is adding 495 beds to campus housing for fall 2003 and another 499 beds in 2004, for a total of 994 beds. Additional housing for about 1,000 students will be added by fall 2008, if market conditions are favorable.
CU-Boulder housing also has been increased during the past year with the addition of 160 beds at the College Inn facility on 17th Street and more than 300 beds at The Village at Boulder Creek, a privately owned complex that rents nearly all of its apartments to CU-Boulder students.
The larger freshman class will have a positive impact on the city through increased sales tax income at a time when sales tax revenue is down in Boulder, Stump said. A spring 2002 report showed that University Hill, a mostly student shopping district, was one of the few Boulder shopping areas having increased sales tax revenue compared to 2001.
Final enrollment numbers for new and continuing students will be available the week of Sept. 16, after census is conducted.