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CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Overall enrollment at the University of Wyoming has dropped by nearly 100 students this fall, but more students are on the Laramie campus thanks to a large freshmen class and greater retention of undergraduates, according to preliminary numbers.
UW counts 12,841 students at its Laramie campus and outreach facilities across the state, down from 12,932 last year. This is the second drop in three years after enrollment at Wyoming's only public, four-year university hit a record 13,122 in 2012.
Despite the drop, the number of students enrolled on the main campus in Laramie increased from 10,520 in 2014 to 10,542 this fall. There are 1,695 freshmen on the campus, up from 1,573 last year.
"It's one of our largest freshman classes ever," said Sara Axelson, vice president for student affairs. "We know that the new freshman class growth was related to a number of the colleges, but especially engineering."
Enrollment in UW's College of Engineering and Applied Science increased by 7.3 percent to 2,066 this fall.
The number of full-time students on campus increased from 9,783 to 9,881.
Axelson said the increase in students on the Laramie campus was not enough to make up for decreases in part-time and outreach students. The outreach headcount decreased by 113 to 2,299 students.
However, Axelson said the increase in full-time students in Laramie is more important for the university's pocketbook.
Axelson said the university has been making great efforts lately to help students stay in school to finish their degrees.
The enrollment numbers show the effort is helping.
Of the 1,554 new full-time freshmen enrolled at UW in fall 2014, 76.3 percent returned for their second year.
"We gained a full percentage point from last year," Axelson said.
UW's efforts to increase racial and ethnic minority student enrollment also appear to be working.
Racial and ethnic minority students increased by 41 to 1,495 and now comprise 11.6 percent of the student population.
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