Jan. 25, 2006 -- Preliminary and unofficial spring semester enrollment numbers for Arkansas State University in Jonesboro show a significant increase compared to a year ago, university officials said today.

Other important enrollment measures also reveal important positive trends for ASU, according to Dr. Rick Stripling, vice chancellor for student affairs.

The unduplicated headcount for all instructional sites associated with ASU-Jonesboro is 9,873, an increase of 82 students from spring 2005, and the second highest spring semester enrollment during the last 10 years.

Perhaps even more significant is the full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment, which jumped by 146, or about two percent, up to 7,872.

The university has been making a concentrated effort to improve retention among the students it attracts each year, and those efforts show dividends in the spring numbers.

Stripling said that the retention rate for first time freshmen who enrolled last fall and returned for the spring semester is approximately 86 percent, compared to 83 percent last year.

In addition, the number of graduate students grew by more than 8 percent. The graduate headcount enrollment of 1,296 is the highest ever recorded in a spring semester at ASU.

“These positive numbers provide further evidence that the university’s strategic enrollment initiatives are having a positive effect,” Stripling said.

Another significant trend noted is the popularity of Web-based or Web-assisted instruction. The enrollment in these courses shot up from 652 in spring 2005 to 1,020 this year.

“The growth in Web-based instruction is a response to our students’ desire for more flexibility in scheduling their classes,” he said. “Much of the credit goes to the academic colleges who have excelled in online offerings.”

The enrollment gains noted for the spring semester follow similar positive steps from fall 2005, when the class of new freshmen showed a 15.5 percent increase from 2004. Other gains last fall were noted in the level of academic preparation, based on the students’ average ACT scores and high school grade point averages.

FTE enrollment is very important because that is the number used to drive the funding formula for Legislative support to ASU, particularly in this calendar year. FTE is an enrollment measurement that converts the part-time enrollments into a full-time equivalent.

All enrollment numbers are preliminary as of the end of the 11th day of classes, the official day on which reports are based, and subject to verification before final submission to the Department of Higher Education.