UVU now the largest public university in state, new enrollment numbers show


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OREM — Utah Valley University has become the largest public institution of higher education in Utah, according to enrollment numbers released Wednesday.

Public institutions in Utah saw a 2 percent increase overall and a net gain of 3,453 students this fall. UVU had a 6 percent increase with 1,879 new students, and Southern Utah University had a 16 percent increase with 1,225 new students, according to the Utah System of Higher Education.

Education leaders say the boost in enrollment is largely due to a surge of students returning from LDS missions after The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints lowered the age requirement for missionary service in 2012.

But growth is projected to continue, with another 50,000 students expected to enroll in the next decade.

"It is something we've been anticipating," said David Buhler, commissioner of higher education. "This first bump is not hugely challenging, but over time as we look into the future, we know that we will need to have new resources in order to be able to accommodate Utah's growing population."

UVU is not unfamiliar with rapid growth. During the institution's transition from Utah Valley State College to a four-year university, it gained roughly 10,000 students in five years, peaking in 2011. University President Matthew Holland said the rise in student numbers and the slight drop after the missionary age change has given university leaders time to prepare for this year's growth and that of future years.


This first bump is not hugely challenging, but over time as we look into the future, we know that we will need to have new resources in order to be able to accommodate Utah's growing population.

–David Buhler, commissioner of higher education


"This is the signal that we're back up to where we were before and that we anticipate continued growth moving forward," Holland said. "The nice thing about our situation now is that by virtue of that little lull in our enrollment, it gave us a couple years to be better prepared than we've ever been for growth moving ahead."

Not only has student headcount in Utah gone up, but the percentage of students attending college full time has also increased. Utah's full-time equivalent saw a 2.79 percent increase, compared to an overall student headcount increase of 2.06 percent, according to the Utah System of Higher Education.

"The good news about that is we know that students who are able to go full time are more likely to finish their degrees," Buhler said. "That isn't to say that sometimes that's all students can do is go part time, and of course we'd encourage them to do whatever they can and as much as they can. But to see this increase in full-time equivalent, I think, is the most significant."

In terms of headcount, UVU is the largest institution with 33,211 students, followed by BYU with 32,615, the University of Utah with 31,673, Salt Lake Community College has 28,814 students, Utah State University has 28,622, Weber State University with 25,955, Southern Utah University with 8,881, Dixie State University with 8,503, and Snow College with 5,111 students.

Administrators at Westminster College said they plan on finalizing this year's enrollment numbers later this month.

Western Governors University, a private online institution based in Utah, currently enrolls more than 60,700 students, but only about 4,300 live in Utah, according to an Aug. 31 enrollment count.

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Morgan Jacobsen

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