TAMPA — For the 21st consecutive year, The University of Tampa has set another enrollment record. This year’s total enrollment, including graduates and undergraduates, is 8,913 — up 7 percent from last year’s total of 8,310. This year’s total enrollment is about quadruple the University’s enrollment of two decades ago.
The enrollment continues to be strong as new student enrollment goals were attained, plus the University posted a 78 percent freshman-to-sophomore retention rate. This rate is a record for UT.
All U.S. states and approximately 140 countries are in the mix of students. About 16 percent of UT students are international, and 20 percent of UT students declare themselves as Hispanic, African-American, American Indian/Alaska Native or Asian.
Almost 97 percent of UT undergraduate students are full time, and the majority of them live on campus. Students are housed in 12 different residence halls all built or renovated since 1998.
The University continues to be more selective, receiving more than 163,000 inquiries and 23,000 applications for this fall’s new class of 2,684 full-time undergraduate students.
Entering students’ SAT scores were also elevated with 22 percent of the new first-year students being eligible for the University’s distinguished Honors Program.
The graduate school student population increased to 939 students, many from all over the world.
Vice President of Enrollment Dennis Nostrand said the University’s record enrollment shows UT’s increasing appeal amongst prospective students, as well as the degree to which students enjoy their rich and meaningful UT experience.
“Interest in UT set an all-time record this past year, due in large part to our expanding reputation for delivering a rich, high-quality educational experience,” Nostrand said. “Plus, once undergraduates decide to attend UT, we do an excellent job of graduating them in four years or less.”
UT President Ronald L. Vaughn added that the University is successfully maintaining its personal attention and community feel, which have been characteristics of UT throughout its 86-year history. Also, UT added 28 new full-time faculty positions for this fall, as well as additional staff support.
“We remain committed to pursuing quality and educational excellence,” Vaughn said. “The fact that we met our enrollment goals, plus we set new retention records, shows our success in providing an outstanding academic and co-curricular experience to students.”
The University of Tampa is a private, residential university located on approximately 110 acres on the riverfront in downtown Tampa. UT is known for academic excellence, personal attention and real-world experience in its undergraduate and graduate programs.
