Between the enrollment of freshmen and transfer students, Slippery Rock welcomes the largest class of new full-time students and transfer students in the history of the university.
“While many, many factors have influenced this increase, the gains are primarily due to heightened campus-wide marketing and recruitment initiatives, new academic program offerings, increased international student recruitment initiatives, and improved retention,” Dr. Amanda Yale, Associate Provost for Enrollment Services, informed. “The academic deans have added both undergraduate and graduate course sections to accommodate the increases in specific colleges and programs.”
Yale explained that University censuses are done on the 15th day of classes, so statistics on enrollment will not be 100% accurate until the middle of September. She also explained that transfer students are still able to enroll during the first week of the academic school year. She was able to provide an estimate based off of freshmen and transfers enrolled on the first day of the academic school year.
As of last year’s academic school year, 1,428 freshmen and 592 transfer students were enrolled at Slippery Rock. Although transfer student enrollment has decreased this year, freshman enrollment increased by 11.8 percent, which welcomes a total of 2,155 freshmen and transfer students.
Slippery Rock’s current enrollment between undergraduate and graduate students is a total of 8,526 students. Yale said enrollment compared to last academic school year is up 0.55 percent.
The enrollment increase of freshmen and transfer students also benefitted the Residence Life department of SRU.
“Our residence halls are at capacity, we are not overfull,” Natalie Burick, Assistant Director of Housing Accommodations, said. “We would not take more students then we can house at one time. We are very excited that we are 100 percent full this year. We also hope students see the value and convenience of living on-campus.”
Burick explained that each year the residence halls and traditional halls start at capacity. Last year was the only time in her employment where the rooms started with several vacancies. Burick explained that freshmen and transfer enrollment was lower than normal last year, but this year she is very excited to have the largest freshmen and transfer student class in the history of Slippery Rock.
Burick discussed what would happen if there were ever a circumstance the residence halls were overcapacity. She said the university uses a housing placement list for those who do not have on-campus housing and when rooms open, they are offered to the students on the list in order of when they put their name on the list.
“All first-year students are required to live on-campus; therefore, the only students whose names are on the list are those who missed the deadline for housing and transfer students needing a place to live,” Burick said.
She also explained that some students decide to commute until Slippery Rock can accommodate space for them to live on-campus.
With on-campus housing being at capacity right now, Burick said room swaps can only happen if two students agree to swap. She said this system works very well; however, students must attempt to meditate roommate issues before they are able to participate in a room swap.
Burick said that SRU currently has no plans to build any new on campus housing facilities, but Residence Life is always looking for ways to make improvements to the current residence halls and traditional halls for the 2,800 students who live on campus.
