Utah Valley University hits fall enrollment record
Oct 21, 2024, 11:45 AM
First day of school photos taken on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, UT, on Wednesday, Aug 21, 2024. (Emily Muñoz, UVU Marketing)
(Emily Muñoz, UVU Marketing)
OREM, Utah — Utah Valley University hit an enrollment record this fall. The university welcomed over 46,000 students this semester.
The school saw its largest freshmen class with an enrollment of over 4,000 first-time students.
Associate Vice President of Student Experience Andrew Stone said they made an effort to make attending the school more accessible for everyone this school year.
“Across the country, a lot of schools have been concerned about changes by the Department of Education …” said Stone. “So, find[ing] access to federal financial aid — and that’s a space for the last eight months that our team really tried to maintain a focus on. ‘How do we make sure that the process isn’t a barrier for students?'”
What’s impacting the enrollment number?
According to Stone, the largest growth was in students continuing their studies at Utah Valley University.
“The growth area that I think we’re most excited about is about [is the] 900 students continuing students … students who have been enrolled at UVU who stayed at UVU. That’s a population that we’ve been heavily focusing on at our institution,” Stone said.
UVU saw its biggest increase in first-generation students this year, rising around 18%.
Additionally, Stone said 16,000 students attending UVU are concurrent enrollment high school students.
According to Stone, the university’s growth has been aided by efforts to help students succeed.
“[There is] a new Student Success Center that we rolled out this last year. where we’re inviting any and all students to come to one place, and in that place, either get direct support or be connected to support.”
Related: Utah out-paces most of the country in college enrollment
